forthe fruyte of good workes / shal be cutte awaye frome the vyne / shall waxe drye ¶ For whaÌ„ he is departed fro that vyne / thaÌ„ he leseth the vyne of all graces / and is sende forthe in to the euer lastyÌ„ ge fyre / as a braunche that bryngeth forthe no fruyte is cutte of the vyne and caste in to the fyre / for it is not good for none other thyÌ„ge ¶ Ther fore the ryghtwysenesse of god sendeth them that ben so cutte of / in to the fyre euer lastynge / for theyr owne defautes deynge in decdly synnes / for asmoche as they ben not good in theyrselfe ¶ They done not labour nor they tyllen not theyr vyneyerde but moche soner they done dystroye theyr vyneyerde / and other meÌ„nes also ¶ And not onely that / they plaÌ„ten no good plantes in theyr vyneyerde / but rather they takeÌ„ frome the vyneyetde the sede of grace / the whische they vyden receyue in the lyght of holy baptym / and token the holy ê‘tycypacyoÌ„ of my holy sones blode / whiche treuly was the wyne that this sothfast vyne my sone brought forthe to you / but they haue drawen vp this noble lede / and haue taken it to be eten of dyuerse beestes / that is to saye they haue cast it vnder the fete of an vnordynate affeccyon / by many and dyuerse by â—des of synnes / by the whiche they haue offended me / and put themselfe to damâ—nacyon / and ther neyghbours also ¶ My seruauntes done not so / but folowe you the fayre / and swete pathes of my holy seruauÌ„tes that is to saye ye shall be oned and ioyned togyder / iÌ„ this sothefast and very vyne / and than ye shall be parte takers of moche fruyte ¶ For than ye shall take of the oncheed of the very vyne / and as longe as ye abyde in the oneheed of my sone / so longe ye dwellen with me / for I and he ben all one ¶ And as longe as ye stonden in hym / so longe ye done folowe his doctryne / and in that that ye done folowe his doctryne / ye shal haue parte of the greate substauÌ„ce of my sone that is to saye ye shall be parte takers of the euer benge godheed / oned and oned in the man heed / and he shall haue a maner of dyuyne loue ¶ In the whiche / a soule is made fer frome herselfe / puttyÌ„ge in oblyuyon all vayne delectacyons and for that cause I sayde ye sholden be parte takers of the substauÌ„ce of the foresayde vyne ¶ In what maner god bereth the braunches / the whiche ben oned with the vyne / and how that the vyneyerde of eche mÌ„a is oned / or ioyned with the vyneyerde of his neyghboure B Nowe ye not what maner of workynge ye haue hadde / after the tyme that my seruauntes ben oned to my sone / that they may folowe his doctryne ¶ I purge them / and cutte them / that they may bryÌ„ge forth moche fruyte that theyr fruyte maye abyde / and that it be not become bareyne ¶ As a good braunche ioyned to the vyne / whiche the tyller purgeth cleÌ„seth / bycause it sholde brynge forthe better fruyte / more in quantyte / but he cutteth of the braunche that bryÌ„geth forthe no fruyte / and casteth it in to the fyre ¶ So do I / whiche am the euer beynge tyller / I purge clense my secuauntes whiche abydeÌ„ in me / with many and dyuers trybulacyÌ„os / that they may brynge forthe better more fruyte / that vertu maye be preued in them ¶ Other seruauÌ„tes whiche bryngeÌ„ forthe no fruyte / ben caste frome the vyne / putte to the fyre / as it is sayde before ¶ My seruauntes doubtelesse ben good tyllers / whiche tylleÌ„ well for theyr soules / puttynge away fro the soule all theyr owne soue / tournen al theyr affeccyons in to me / therby they norysshen / and encresen the sede of grace / the whiche they dyd receyue iÌ„ the holy baptym ¶ And so wel they done laboure in theyr owne vyneyerde / that they tylleÌ„ the vyneyerde of theyr neyghbour / for the one maye not be tylled / wtout the other ¶ And yf thou remembre the well I sayde to the before that all good or euyll that a man dothe / it is done by some mene of his neyghboure ¶ Also ye ben my tyllers comen fro me / whiche am the chefe / and euet beynge tyller / I haue sette you in the vyne by the oneheed whiche I made iÌ„ you ¶ Thynke wel and haue in mynde that all reasonable creatures haue theyr owne vyneyerde by themselfe the whiche is oned to theyr neyghbour / without ony other mene that it to saye one so ioyned with an other / that no man maye do good to hymselfe / nor harme / but that he muste yelde the same to his neyghboure ¶ Of you all that is to saye of all the hole crysten relygyon / a general vyneyerde is gadered togydet / the whiche all ye beÌ„ knytte togyder / in the dyneyerde of the ghostly body of youre moder the holy chyrche / of the whiche ye taken lyfe ¶ This sothefast vyne / is the precyous body / parsone of my sone / in whome ye ought to be knytte and fastned with parfyte loue of herte / and charyte in thy neyghboure ¶ For whan ye ben not set parfytely in hym / anone ye rebell greately agaynste the holy chyrche / and ye ben the membres cutte of as rotten membres fro the body of the chyrche ¶ Now whyle ye haue tyme / ye maye aryse frome the corrupcyoÌ„ of synnes with very dysplesaunce of them / and fle to my seruauntes for helpe as to the tyllers whiche kepen the keye of the vyneyerde that is to say of the blode whiche came out of the vyne / whiche is of so greate vertu and parfeccyon / that the fruyte of this very precyous blode / may not be takeÌ„ you / by the defaute of my mynysters ¶ The bonde of charyte is that / the whiche byndeth them with very mekenesse / in the sothefaste knowynge of themselfe and of me whiche wnowynge they haue soughte ¶ And yet thou maye parceyue / that I haue set you as tyllers ¶ And now I cal you agayne to labour / for now the worlde fayleth / the thornes ben somoche multy plyed / that they haue almost ouer growen the sayde in somoche that they wyll gyue no fruyte ¶ I wyll therfore that ye be trewe tyllers that is to helpe besyly soules to trauayle iÌ„ the ghosty body of your moder the holy chyrche ¶ To that I chose you / for I wyll gyue mercy to the worlde / for the whiche thou hase prayed me feruently / and full mekely ¶ How this soule whan she had gyuen thaÌ„kynges to our lorde / the prayed hym to shewe her / whiche wentn by the brydge / and whiche wenteÌ„ not by the brydge
assayed that waye theyrselfe ¶ Also eche resonable creature is lyghtned by knowynge of a sothefastnesse / yf he wyll hymselfe that is to saye that no man be not in wyl to lose the lyght of reason / for his owne loue and profyte ¶ Ther fore it is truely sayde / my sones doctryne is treue / whiche abode as a boot / to draweout soules of the tempest of the grete see / to lede them to the hauen of helthe ¶ And thus I sayd / I haue made an actual brydge of my sone / with his conuersauÌ„t beynge fyrste with men ¶ But whaÌ„ the actual brydge of the parfyte doctryne was taken fro you / thaÌ„ abode the brydge / and my doctryne with my myght / that am the fader / and the same doctryne ioyned and knytte with the wysoome of my sone / and with the mercy pyte of the holy ghost / this myght gyueth strengthe to theÌ„ that done folowe this waye / the weysdome of my sone gyueth to maÌ„ lyght that he maye knowe that sothefastnes in the waye / the holy ghost gyueth to hym loue / whiche loue putteth awaye / and dystroyeth the venym of his propre wyll / and maketh the loue of vertus onely to abyde ¶ Also he is the waye of sothefastnesse and lyfe actually or by doctryne / the whiche waye is the brydge / ledynge bryngynge you to the heyght of heuen ¶ Therfore it was sothely sayde / whan my sone sayd / I came downe fro my fader / and came downe in to the worlde / I leue that worlde agayne and I go to my fader that is to saye my fader sende me to you / ordeyned and made me youre brydge / that ye myght ascape ouer the floode / come to the lyfe that is euer durable ¶ He sayde also / and I shall come a gayne to you / I shall not leue you faderlesse chyldren / but I shall sende you comforte that is to say the holy ghost / as thoughe my sothefaste sone incarnate had sayne thus ¶ I shall go to my fader / shortly after come agayne to you / whaÌ„ the holy ghost cometh / whiche is the spyryte of comforte ¶ Whiche spyryte of coÌ„forte shall shewe you more clerely all thynge / coÌ„fyrme the way of sothefastnesse / that is the most parfyte doceryne that I haue gyuen you ¶ He sayde also / I shall come agayne to you / and so he dyd ¶ For the holy ghoste cometh not alone / for he cometh with the myghte of the fader / with the wysedome of the sone / and and with that mercy of the holy ghost ¶ Therfore thou may se that he came agayne not actually / but in vertu strengthynge the waye of doctryne whiche way maye neuer fayle / nor be taken fro them / that ben in wyll to folowe that doctryne ¶ For it is stroÌ„ge stable / for asmoche as it came fro me / the whiche am not chaungeable ¶ Therfore ye sholden myghtly folowe that waye of doctryne / withoute ony cloude / with the lyghte of very faythe / whiche is gyuen to you for a pryncypall vesture / in the sacrament of holy baptym ¶ Now doughter I haue declared shewed to that pleynly the actuall brydge and his doctryne / whiche is all one / the same with the brydge ¶ I haue sayde also that there were apostles / euangelystes / martyrs / coÌ„fessours / holy doctours / ordeyned set / as laÌ„terns in holy chyrche ¶ I haue shewed that also how my sone / after tyme the he came to me / that he came agayne to you / not by his bodyly presence / but in vertu that is to saye whan that the holy ghoste came vpon the apostles ¶ For in that bodyly presence he shal not come to you agayne / but in that laste daye of Iudgement / whaÌ„ he shall come with my maâ—â—ste / and with my dyuyne myght / to Iudge the quycke and the deed / and to yelde rewardes to the good / to rewarde them with greate gyftesin soule body for theyr labours / he shall yeldefull bytter penes / to all theym that wyckedly haue ledde theyr lyfe here iÌ„ this worlde ¶ Now doughter forthermore I wyll say to that / the I sothefastnesse made promyse to she we all to the / that is to shewe the theÌ„ that gone in that waye vnparfytely / and them also that gone parfytely / and them the gone in the most parfyte waye and how they go ¶ I haue shewed the also the wycked men / whiche with theyr wyckednesse drownen themselfe in the floode / and gone to euer lastynge derkenesse ¶ And now I speke to you that ben my dere chyldreÌ„ / that ye go by the brydge besely and not vnder the brydge / for that is not the waye of ryghtwysenesse / but rather it is the waye of pardycy on and vntruthe / and by that waye wycked men go / of the whiche men I shal speke here after ¶ Those beÌ„ synners / of the whiche / I praye you that ye praye to me besyly / and for the halthe and the faluacyon of theÌ„ ¶ I aske of you teeres and labours / that they may haue of me my grete mercy ¶ Than this soule was so fulfyl sed with all ghestly swetenesse / that she myght not refreyne herselfe / but as she slode in oure lordes prefence / she beganne to speke / sayde ¶ How this soule as she wondered on the greate mercy of oure lorde / she remembred her on the multytude of his grete benefytes O Mercy without ende / and euer beynge goodnesse / the whiche dydhyde the greate wyckednes of thy creatures ¶ Dere lorde I wolde not wondre yf thou dyd saye I shall not remeÌ„bre me of theyr wyckednes / whiche cometh oute of deedly synnes / and at the laste tournen to the agayne ¶ O thou inestymable mercy / I wyll ueuer wonder / yf thou saye the worde to them that comen out of synne / sythen thou dyd saye to vs / I wyll the ye praye to me for them / that dysplesen me with theyr syntul lyuyÌ„ge / that I maye gyue to theym mercy ¶ O most pleÌ„tuous mercy / whiche cometh of eteruyte euer beynge of the almyghty fader / whiche gouerneth the worlde w e his euerlastynge myghte ¶ Also we weren made formed in thy mercy / and we ben reformed by thy mercy / in the blode of thy sone / for thy amyable mercy kepeth vs. ¶ Lorde thy mercy made thy sone to sprede his armes on the cros / ther played dethe with lyfe / lyfe with dethe ¶ Than he sende vtterly the lyfe / whiche was the dethe of oure synnes / that dethe of oure synne / toke awaye the bodely lyfe / fro the meke lambe / that is thy dere sone ¶ O lorde who was ouercomen Lorde dethe was ouercomeÌ„ Lorde who was the cause Thy grete mercy was the cause ¶
Thy mercy gaue lyfe / thy mercy gaue lyght / by whiche mercy / thy goodnes is knowen in euery creature / in synfull men in vnryghtful mē ¶ Thy mercy shyned in the hyghnes of heuē as in thy seyntes yf I speke of thy erthe / thy mercy is ther al plētuous ¶ That mercy shyneth ī the derkenesse of hell / not yeldȳge somoche peyne to thē the ben dampned / as they bē worthy / with thy mercy thou dyd swage / refresshe thy ryghtwysenes ¶ Of thy mercy thou hase wasshed vs ī thy blode / of the same mercy thou was cōuersaūt w e mē ¶ O lorde how greate mercy it is of somoche loue ¶ O lorde was it not suffycyent to the to be incarnate / but yet moreouer thou wolde suffre the dethe ¶ Whether than that dethe was not suffycyent bycause thou went downe in to hell / takynge fro thens holy faders / that thy mercy sothefastnesse sholde be shewed in them / but moreouer thy sothsastnes dothe gyue to them / that seruē the in truthe goodes that maye not be spoken ¶ Thou dyscended to hell / bycause thou wolde delyuer them fro peyne and mysery the whiche hadden serned the thou yelded to thē the fruyte of theyr labours ¶ Yet gracyous lorde as me semeth thy mercy constreyned the to gyue to man moore larger gystes that is to saye gyuynge the to man in to meet / the we feble wretches sholden receyue comforte and solace / that vncunnynge men sholden not forgo the memory of thy benefytes ¶ Therfore whan thou gyues euery daye that sacrament to men / thou shewed the as cryst in thy holy sacrament of the auter / in the ghostly body of the holy chyrche ¶ Lorde who wroughte all this Thy mercy lorde wrought it ¶ O greate mercy / my herte is full replete / thȳkynge on the. ¶ For ī what party I tourne me / thȳke on the / I fynde no other thynge / thā the brode see of thy greate mercy ¶ O holy fader / haue pyte spare my ygnoraūce / bycause I presume to speke thus before thy ymage / neuertheles the loue of thy mercy hath◠me a wretche excused / before thy be nygnyte ¶ Whā this soule had opened her herte by spekynge to the mercy of god / thā she asked mekely the she myght haue knowlege of the that our lorde promysed her before ¶ Than oure lorde beganne to speke agayne and sayde ¶ Dere doughter thou hase shewed / and tolde to me of my greate mercy / for I sayde to the that the sholde se that mercy / thou shall haue taste in the wordes the werē sayde before to the that is to saye I sayd I wolde shewe the whiche they bē / for whom I praye you / to praye to me ¶ Neuerthelesse doughter knowe it for certayne / the my mercy is to you moche more plētuous / thā thou sees it ¶ For thy syghte is fynyts / vnpar fyte ¶ Also cōparyson maye not be made / bytwyxe thy seȳge my and merci / but as it were bitwyxe a dede fynyte / a dede ifynyte ¶ I wolde that thou sholde taste this greate mercy / and also moreouer that thou tast or knowe the dygnyte of man / that thou maye knowe more openly the cruelte and vntruthe of wycked mē the whiche gone by the waye of derkenesse ¶ Open the eyes of thy intelleccyon / and beholde them that wylfully drownē themselfe / not goynge by the very sure pathe waye of the brydge ¶ And se into how moche vnworthynesse they ben fallen / by theyr owne synnes and defautes ¶ The syrste cause of theyr vnworthynesse is / that they become seke / the is whā they haue synned deedly in theyr hertes and wylles / and than after that / they parformē it in dede / and losen the lyfe of grace ¶ As a deed man whiche hathe no wytte / nor maye not moue hymselfe / but he be moued of another ¶ In the same maner / they that ben sleen in the wycked stood / of the worldely mys gouerned loue / ben deed as to grace ¶ And bycause they bē deed / theyr myndes haue forgoten the grete benefyte of my large mercy ¶ Also theyr eyes of intelleccyon seen not / nor knowen not my sothefastnesse / for his wytte and felynge is deed / for his intelleccyō putteth nothȳge before hymselte / but his owne wyll with the loue of his owne propre sen sualyte / therfore his wyll is deed / as fro my reasonable wyll / for his wyll loueth not / but thynges that ben deed ¶ And throwe these thre dyuers myghtes of the soule / al his werkes actuall and mentall / ben vtterly departed and dyuyded as froony grace / and as by hymselfe / he maye not be defended fro his enemy es / but he be holpē throwe my good nesse ¶ But forthermore sothe it is as ofte as he hathe ryghte frechoys whyle he is ī deedly body asketh my helpe / heshall haue it / but by hymselfe he maye neuer haue it ¶ For to hymselfe is made vnportable / there he coueteth to be made lorde ouer all thynge ¶ Therfore that that is noughte / hathe the maystre and lordeshyp ouer hym / and that is synne ¶ Synne is nought of hȳselfe / all suche as ben nought / ben the seruauntes of synne ¶ I made theym fayre trees of loue / with the lyfe of spercyall grace / the whiche grace they dyden receyue in the holy baptym ¶ But nowe they waxen roten trees / for they ben deed as I haue sayde besore ¶ And this deed tree fastneth his rootes / in the hyghnesse of pryde / the whiche pryde nourysheth venym / of the loue of his propre sensualyte ¶ And the bytternesse within / is impasyence / and all these comē of indyscrecyon / or lacke of wytte ¶ These foure pryncypall vyces done slee vtterly the soules of them of the whiche I haue tolde the before how they bē the trees of dethe for they haue no lyfe of grace ¶ Also within that tree the worme of conscyēce is nourysshed / whiche worme as longe as a man lyueth in deedly synne / that man is made blynde throwe his owne propre loue / therfore he feleth bu lytle of the fretynge / or bytynge of he worme ¶ Also the fruytes of this wycked tree bē deedly fruytes / for of the roote of pryde / they drawe oute the moysture of the tree ¶ And the wretched soule is al clothed / and couered with greate vnkyndenesse / of the whiche vnkyndenesse / there romen all other euylles wyckedues ¶ Yf she wolde gladly with thankynges receyue the benefyres the whiche ben gyuen her / than sholde she knowe me / and whā that she knewe me verely / than she sholde knowe herselfe ryght parfytely / and so she sholde styll abyde and dwell in my loue But as a blynded wretche / she putteth
/ that they dyd to theyr neyghbour / other dedes that they dyd in theyr wycked lyuynge for they wolde not leue theyr synne al shal be put in reprefe to theÌ„ than ¶ Also they shold be repreued of the crueltes / that they dyd to theyr neyghbours / of that synÌ„e of pryde / with loue of vncleÌ„nes / theyr auarice ¶ And whan they so that grete mercy whiche they myght haue had of me / theyr vndernymyÌ„ge shal be moche harder thaÌ„ the soule had in tyme of dethe ¶ For at that general dome that soule that body of suche shall be tourmented bothe togyder / for asmoche as the body was felowe with the souls / instrumeÌ„t to worke bothe good and yll / at theyr owne wyl ¶ Euery workyÌ„ge good or yl / is wrought by some maner of a maÌ„nes neyghbour ¶ Therfore doughter goodnes glory wtout ende is gyueÌ„ ryghtfully to my choseÌ„ soules / with theyr bodyes gloryfyed / gracyously they be rewarded for theyr labours / the whiche they had togyder body soule in my name ¶ In that same maner euerlastynge peyne shall be gyue to wycked men with body soule ¶ Bycause that body was instrument of euyll / therfore that peyne shall be made newe encreased in that syght of my sone / whan the soule the body shal come togyder / thaÌ„ shall the wretched sensualyte be repreued with his vncleÌ„nes / beholdyÌ„ge that humanyte of cryst / ioyned with that iyâ—e of cleÌ„nes of my godheed / and whaÌ„ they beholde your nature of Adaâ— / enhauÌ„sed aboue that courte of angels ¶ Also they shal se theÌ„selfe put downe in to the depenes of hell / beholdynge that largenes that mercy gyuen to them that be blyssed ¶ And whaÌ„ the blyssed soules receyue the fruyte of my sones blode / whiche sone is called the laÌ„be of god ¶ Also that blyssed soules do se all that peynes whiche they suffre in that worlde / ordeyned for that or nameÌ„tes of the bodyes / as a raye of golde is put vpoÌ„ a clothe / that is not by that vertu of that body / but onely by that pleÌ„tuous blys of that soule / whiche representeth to his body that fruyte of his trauayles / bycause that that body was assocyate to the soule to the excersyces of vertues ¶ Also that body shall be knowe outewardely / ryght as a myrrour representeth and sheweth the face of a man / ryghte so the fruyte of his labours shal be presented shewed in his hyghe body as it is sayde before ¶ And whaÌ„ al these other soules full of mysery derkenes beholde somoche dygnyte iÌ„ blyssed soules / of the whiche dygnite they be pryued and excluded / than theyr peyne coÌ„fusyon encreaseth / for the token of theyr wyckednesse synnes whiche they dyd / shall be shewed in theyr bodyes / with peynes tourmentours to theyr tourmeÌ„t ¶ Wherfore in that dredefull worde whiche they shal here / go ye to that fyre euerlastyÌ„ge thaÌ„ shal theyr bodyes with the soules go downe euer to abyde with that fendes wtoute ony remedy of hope ¶ There they shall sorowe togyder in theyr peynes / to the encrese of theyr peynes / theyr wretchydnes with al theyr fylthes / euery maÌ„ by hymselfe in dyuers wyses / after that theyr euyll werkes were dyuers in erthe ¶ A couetous maÌ„ with that fylthe of his auaryce / breÌ„nynge ther in that fyre with worldely substauÌ„ce / mhiche wyckedly falsely he purchased / loued in that worlde ¶ The cruell maÌ„ shall be tourmenteb with his cruelte / that vnclene maÌ„ with his vncleÌ„nes with his wretched coÌ„cupyssence ¶ An vnryghtful man with his vntruthe vnryghtfulnes ¶ The enuyous maÌ„ with his enuy ¶ An hatered maÌ„ with that hatered of his neyghbour ¶ And forthermore there shall be bâ—endeâ— vnordynate loue oâ—â—maÌ„nes loue / of the whiche â—alâ—e 〈◊〉 cometh all euyll ¶ And the 〈…〉 a passyâ—ge peyne intollerable / for asmoche â—s that synne was begynnyÌ„ge of all euyll moder to pryde / whiche is moder of all synÌ„es ¶ Wherfore euery soule body togyder / shall be punysshed togyder ¶ And thê° myserably they go to theyr ende / which go by that lower way of the flode / wyl not tourne to knowlege theyr owne defautes / aske mercy as I sayd before ¶ But so they gone to the gates of hell / for they haue folowed the techynge of that fende ¶ And he is theyr gate / and theyr entrynge to hell / as it is sayde before ¶ And in that coÌ„trary wyse my chosen chyldren whiche go vpon that brydge aboue / those go by that way of sothefastnes / that sothefastnes is to theÌ„ that gate of entryÌ„ge ¶ Therfore my sone whiche is my sothefastnes fayde / 〈◊〉 mâ—mdy come to my sader but by me ¶ He is that gate that waye by the whiche they passe ouâ—t that they may â—â—ntre to me / whiche am that peaseble see ¶ And so in that coÌ„trary / they that went by that way of pardycyon / whiche waye gyueth to them a deed water / so be peryshed loste ¶ To that perel that fende calleth â—tyrreth suche blynde soules fooles / by full peryllous teÌ„ptacyoÌ„s / false suggestyons whiche for blyndenes and lacke of grace do not parceyue / nor they take no hede / how they haue lost that lyght of very feythe / folowe that wyll the wordes of the fende as thoughe he spake to them and sayde ¶ Who so hathe thrust and desyreth water of dethe / let hem come to me / I shall gyue it to hym ¶ And here now moder and systren endeth the seconde parte of this orcharde / in the whiche we be taughte the waye to he uen ¶ And how we be ordeyned to labour in this worlde / euery man in his owne vyneyerde ¶ And of thre ladders whiche helpe a soule to the loue of god ¶ In this party also oure lorde speketh ful comfortably of his grete mercy / and of dyuersyte of synnes ¶ And how soules shall be repreued at the day of Iudgement ¶ And of the pryncypall tourmentes in hell / and of the ioyes of heuen ¶ Our lorde than graunt â—â— so feruently to labour / euery man in his owne vyneyerde / that bâ— the prayer of his blyssed moder / and by his grete mercy / that we maye gracyously scape that drefull daye of Iudgement / 〈◊〉 with his chosen chyldren / to entre in to the gates of blysse / the gloryous syght of hym euer to reioyce Ame◠¶ The .iii. boke Tertia ¶ The fyrste chapytre of the .iii. party / sheweth of that profyte of temptacyons / and how euery soule in that last ende of his lyfe shall tast and fele by knowynge â—â— he fully pas / what peyne or ioye he shall haue after he is passed ¶ Also how the fende catcheth soules budet the coloure of
whiche floodes maye come oute frome the / that arte the parmanents peaseable see ¶ I thanke the fader / and endelesse thankynge be to the / that hase satysfyed to me of that I asked the / and of that I knewe not / whiche I asked not of the / and also bycause thou hase styrred me to wepe / and taught me mater of wepynge / for to offer in prayer / swete thyÌ„ges / delectable thynges / and longe desyres / before the with meke contynual prayer ¶ Now therfore I aske of the / that thou shewe mercy to the worlde / and to holy chyrche I praye the that thou fulfyll that thynge / whiche thou wolde I prayed for ¶ Wo be to me most wretche that am cause of all euyl / and yet can not sorowe it within my soule ¶ Good lorde tary no longer / but haue ruthe and pyte on all the worlde / bowe the lorde and fulfyll the desyre of thy seruaunte ¶ O what am I / thou arte he that makes bothe me and thy seruauntes for to crye to the after mercy / and therfore gracyously here the voyces of theÌ„ ¶ Thy sothefastnesse sayd thus / serche and ye shall fynde / knocke and it shall be opened to you / aske it shal be grauÌ„ted to you ¶ O endelesse fader / thy seruauntes crye to the for mercy ¶ Good fader answere them after theyr desyres / for I knowe well properly it longeth to the for to haue mercy and for to gyue mercy / and therfore thou maye not deny it / but thou muste nedes gyue mercy to them that aske it ¶ They knocke at the gate of thy sothefastnesse / for in thy onely sothefaste sone Ihesu they knocke thy meruaylous loue whiche thou hase to man / and so they crye at the gate / wherfore the fyre of thy charyte sholde not nor maye not wtholde / but that it muste nedes open the same gate to theÌ„ that knocke with parseueraunce ¶ Therfore endelesse fader / open the breestes / breke the harde hertes of thy creatures not for theÌ„ that do not knocke but do it for thy infynyte goodnesse / and for the loue of thy seruauntes / whiche for them do knocke at the gate ¶ Graunte thou endelesse fader theyr askyÌ„ge / whom thou sees stoÌ„de knockynge at the gate of thy goodnesse / and what do they aske good lorde ¶ Certayne the blode of this gate / that is the blode of thy onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / for in that blode / thou hase wasshed a waye the wyckednesse stynkyÌ„ge fylthe of synne / whiche came by the synne of Adam that is oure blode good lorde for of that blode thou hase made to vs a bathe / I knowe wel therfore thou maye not nor wyl not deny theÌ„ that aske the in parseueraunce ¶ Gyue therfore good lorde the fruyte of that blode to thy creatures / putte good lorde the pryce of that blode vpon that balaunce of thy sone / lest the fendes of hell lede awaye thy shepe with hym ¶ Thou art a veri good shepeherde that hase gyuen to vs a very trewe shepeherde / that is thy sone Ihesu / the whiche for thy obedyence gaue his lyfe for his shepe / of his blode made a bathe ¶ This is the blode that thy seruauÌ„tes do aske of the as hongry soules at thy gate by the whiche blode they aske that thou shewe mercy to the worlde / make holy chyrche smell swetely in swete smellynge floures of vertu / and deuoute and holy curates / with whose swete smell / they put awaye the stynkyÌ„ge smell of stynkynge floures ¶ Thou endelesse fader dyd saye / that for the loue whiche thou hase to thy reasonable creatures / for the prayers of thy seruauntes / that suffer moche labour for soules / thou wolde shewe mercy to the worlde / and araye holy chyrche worthyly / and so refresshe vs. ¶ Therfore delaye not / nor tary not endeles fader for to turne to synners thy eye of mercy but say to theÌ„ thus or that ye cryed to me for mercy / I herde you with my ere of mercy ¶ Open good lorde the gate of thy meruaylous charyte / the whiche thou hase graunted to vs by the grace of thy sone ¶ I knowe ryghte well good lorde that thou openes the gate or that we knocke ther at / for with the affecyon and loue that thou hase gyuen to thy seruauÌ„tes / they knotke to the crye / sekynge thy worshyp helthe of soules ¶ Therfore endelesse fader graunte theÌ„ breed of lyfe / that is the fruyte of thy blode of thy onely sone sothefaste Ihesu / whiche fruyte they aske of the / for ioye and worshyp of thy name and helthe of soules ¶ For it semeth and sothe it is that it is more ioye to the / worshyp for to saue soules of thy creatures / than for to suffer them obstynately in hardenesse of herte ¶ To the endeles fader al this is possyble / for thoughe thou made vs withoute vs / yet thou wyll not saue vs without vs. ¶ And therfore constrayne theyr wylles gracyously / dyspose theÌ„ for to desyre and wyll / that they wyll not ¶ This I aske the for thy infynyte mercy / thou hase made vs of noughth / therfore nowe to suche as we be / shewe mercy / refresshe the vessels that thou hase made and formed to the ymage and lykenesse of the / reforme them to grace / in the mercy in the blode of of thy ryght swete and well byloued sone Ihesu cryst ✚ LAVS DETVR DEO ¶ Nowe moder and systren here I haue made an ende of this the fyfte boke / in the whiche you may fynde ghostly / good / holy doctryne for the helthe of soules / with greate consolacyon comforte to youreselfe / with swete herbes and plantes of swete odour and smell In the whiche boke is made meÌ„cyon of the blessyd sacrament and of his vertues / with the reformacyoÌ„ of preestes and theyr subiectes / with many and dyuers maters / and ensamples of good lyuyÌ„ge / as is conteyned in the sayde boke Sexta ¶ The syxte boke ¶ The fyrst chapyter speketh of the syxte party / and it treateth moche of the prouydence of god / and fyrste of his prouydence generally / that is to say / how god prouyded man to be man / how he formed hym of noughte to his ymage and lykenesse ¶ And howe god prouyded man to sanacyon with incarnacyon of his sone / whan the gates of Paradyse were shyt for the synne of Adam ¶ And how he prouyded hymselfe / gyuynge hymselfe contynually to vs in the meet of the auter ¶ Also how god prouyded to gyue hope in his creatures / how he that moste parfytely hopeth / moste tasteth the prouydence of god ¶ And of other maters / suche as be rehersed to you before in the kalender Ca. i. benedictê° q
instrument to come to vertues / and not for pryncypall affeccyon ¶ Also of the lyghte of dyscrecyon that is to saye in dyuers maners and in dyuers workynges ¶ Also here he sheweth a repetycyon of some wordes sayde before / and how that god the fader promyseth to his seruauÌ„tes refresshyÌ„ge and ghostly comforte / and to holy chyrche reformacyon / by the meane or medyacyon of fufferynge peynes and trybulacyons para Ca. iiij THe fourthe chapyter is how the workynge of the soule of this mayde by the answere of oure lorde / bothe encreased and fayled in the bytternesse of her soule / and how she made her prayer for his spouse holy chyrche / for his people ¶ Also how god made his moone of his crysten people / and specyally of his mynysters ¶ Also here he toucheth somwhat of the sacrament of his holy body / and of the benefyte of his incarnacyon Ca. v. ALso how synne is more greuously punyshed after cryites passyon than before / end how the god promyseth to do mercy to the worlde and to holy chyrche / with intersescyons of prayers sufferauÌ„ce of penaunce dyseases ¶ Also this soule hauynge knowlege somoche of the goodnesse of god / prayed not all onely for crysten people and for holy chyrche / but she prayed also for all the worlde in generall ¶ And also how that god made his coÌ„playnt of his reasonable creature / and specyally for theyr owne proper loue the whiche reygneth in them / where he conforteth this soule to prayers and to teeres ¶ Also how that no man maye ascape the handes of god / but that he muste abyde / other of his ryghtwysenes or of his greate mercy ¶ And also how this deuoute soule vpon a tyme whaÌ„ that she dyd swete water / for an holy ghostly breÌ„nynge hete / in tyme of prayer she desyred that her swetynge sholde haue be bloode rather than water / how that she repreued herselfe / that she had not swette bloode ¶ And iÌ„ this repreuyÌ„ge she made a specyall prayer for her ghostly fader ¶ Also how a man maye not please god / but he bere trybulacyons and anguyshes with pacyence ¶ The chapyters of the secuÌ„de parte Ca. i. THe fyrste chapyter of the secunde parte maketh mencyon of a brydge / and how the fader of heuen made a brydge of his sone / whan the waye of goynge to heuen was broke by the mâ—hedyeÌ„ce of the fyrste man Adam / by the whiche all trewe crysten men maye ouer passe ¶ How god induceth styrreth this soule to beholde the greatenesse of this brydge that is to saye how that it recheth fro the erthe to heueÌ„ ¶ And also how that all we be laborers / and how that we be sende fro god to labour in the vyneyerde of oure moder holy chyrche / how that euery man woman haue a vyneyerde of them selfe / and how that we the whiche be the cyons or the braunches whiche be oned in the very vyne of the sone of god oure sauyoure Ihesu cryste / the very lambe of mekenesse ¶ And also by what maner cryste bereth the braunches with the soresayde vyne / and that is to saye his seruauntes ¶ Also how that the vyneyerde of euery man is oned with the vyneyerde of his neyghboure in somoche that no man maye sette or norysshe or tyll or dystrye his owne vyneyerde / but he set or tyl or dystrye his neyghbours vyneyerde ¶ Also how that this foresayde soule whan that she hadde gyuen praysynges to god / she prayed to hym that he wolde shewe to her them that were goyÌ„ge by the brydge / and them that were not goynge by that brydge ¶ Ca. ij ALso how the blessed brydge goddes sone hathe thre grees / by the whiche be betokened thre states of a soule / how this brydge whaÌ„ it is araysed vp iÌ„ to the heyghte / yet is it not departed fro the erthe ¶ Also how these wordes shal be vnderstonde Si exaltatus fuero a terra omÌ„ia traham ad me ¶ Also how this brydge is walled with stones / and how that they betoken ryall and very vertues / and vpon this brydge there is a house / or a place ordeyned where meet shal be gyuen to the wayegoers / who that goeth by that brydge gothe to eternall and euerlastynge lyfe / and who that goeth vnder the brydge by the floode / gothe to pardycyon and to the dethe of euerlastynge peyne ¶ How that men go with trauayle in these two wayes whyder he go that one or that other and of the delyte the whiche a soule hathe / that goeth to the brydge ¶ Ca. iij. THe thyrde chapyter maketh mencyon / yet of this same brydge goddes sone Ihesu cryste / it telleth whaÌ„ our lorde Ihesu cryst was ascended vp in to heuen in the daye of his ascencyon / he departed hym not fro the erthe ¶ Also how that this soule as she wondred on the mercy of god / she noumbred in her soule the multytude of the gyftes of god / and the greate graces whiche came to mankynde of that same dyuyne mercy ¶ Also of the vnworthynesse of them the whiche wente by the floode / vnder the foresayde brydge ¶ And how that god calleth that soule that gothe vnder the tree of dethe / whiche hathe his roote pryÌ„cypally in foure vyces ¶ Ca. iiij ALso how the fruyte of this tree is moche dyuers / as is the dyuersyte of synnes / and here he sheweth fyrste of the voluptuosyte of carnal delectacyoÌ„ or lechery ¶ Also how that the truyte of of some teeres is auaryce / and of the euyll that cometh of synne / and how vnryghtfulnesse is the fruyte of some mennes teeres / whiche haue the state of domynacyon ¶ Also throwe his vnryghtwysenesse and throwe other defautes / a man cometh in to false demynge ¶ And also of the vnworthynesse in to the whiche a man falleth throwe these defautes ¶ Here also god speketh vpon that worde whiche cryst sayde O go mittam paraclitum c. Cryste sayde / I shall sende the holy ghoste / whiche shall repreue the worlde of vnryghtwysenesse of false domes or Iudge meÌ„tes / and here he saythe that one of these repreues be contynuall and without ende ¶ Ca. v. THe fyfte chapyter is of the secunde vndernymynge or blamynge / wherin vnrygthwysenesse and false domes be repreued / bothe in generall and in ê‘tyculer ¶ Also of foure pryÌ„cypall turmentes of theÌ„ that be dampned / whiche all other turmentes do folowe / and specyally and syngulerly of the foule syghte of of the fende ¶ Also of the thyrde reprefe and blamynge that shall be in the daye of Iudgement / how they that be dampned maye not desyre ony goodnesse / and of the Ioye of theym that be blessed ¶ Also that after the generall Iudgement / the peyne of them that shall be dampned shall be encreaced with peynes not able to be thoughte ¶ The
moche other thynges / than satysfaccyoÌ„ for theyr synnes .. ¶ And I saye to the / yet it shall be moche harder with theÌ„ / for asmoche as they sholden be worthy greter paynes ¶ And so now after the tyme / that they haue taken the redempcyoÌ„ / by the blode of my sone they sholden be punysshed the more sharply / than before redempcyon ¶ That is to saye / the before Adams 〈◊〉 shold be wasshed away / it was worthy and ryghtfull / that he that moche receyued / sholde yelde moche agayne / and more sholde be bouÌ„de to byÌ„ / of whom he receyued somoche ¶ A man was moche bounde to me of his beynge / that I gaue hyÌ„ suche a gyfte to make hym to my ymage and to my lykenesse / he was therefore bounde and beholden / to yelde agayne thaÌ„kynges to me ¶ But he taketh fro me the thankynges / and holdeth it to hymselfe / wherfore he trespaseth agaynste the obedyence whiche was takeÌ„ to hym in charge / and in that he is nowe made myne enemy ¶ And I by the vertu of mekenesse haue dystroyed his pryde For by mekenesse / I haue loued dyuyne nature / takynge youre humanyte And so I haue delyuered you / and drawen you frome the captynyte of the fende ¶ And not onely that fredome sholde be gyuen to you of me / but yf you beholde ryght well / man is made as god / god is maÌ„ throwe the couplynge of one heed of dyuyne nature / in the nature of youre humanyte ¶ O dette that they tokeÌ„ / and for whiche they owen to yelde thaÌ„kyÌ„ges / is the tresure of my sones blode / wherby they beÌ„ reformed to grace ¶ Se also how moche they ben bounde to yelde me thankyÌ„ges after theyr redempcyon / more than before ¶ Now for theyr redempcyon / they ben bounde to yelde to me laude and thankynges / folowynge the steppes of my sone / whiche was incarnate / than they gaue me my dette for themselfe / and for the loue of theyr neyghboure / with trewe pryte vertues / as it is sayde before ¶ So that they that done it not / for asmoche as they ben moche bounde to loue me / they fallen in to the more greuous offenses ¶ Therfore of the dyuyne ryghtwysenesse / they fallen in to more greuous paynes / and I yelde to them euerlastynge payne ¶ Wherfore a false crysten man shal be punysshed more greuously than a paynym / by the ryghtwysenesse of god ¶ The paynefull flame of fyre brenneth them withouten wastyÌ„ge and so they fele afflyccyoÌ„ turmeÌ„t / throwe full cruell fretynges bytynges of theyr owne conscyence / yet the fyre wasteth them not ¶ For they that ben dampned / losen not theyr beynge / for ony turment that they haue ¶ So that synne is punysshed / moche more after redempcyon / than before / bycause man had receyued more of grace / it is not sene that they take ony hede thereof / nor besy them therfore to abstayne them / nor to withdrawe them fro theyr wyckednesse ¶ Therfore suche ben made myne enemyes / for as moche as I recounseyled theÌ„ with the blode of my sone / they rewardeÌ„ it not ¶ But yet one remedither is / whiche I haue ordeyned to pease swage my wrothe that is to say by the mene and helpe of my seruautes ¶ They knoweÌ„ well how I am constrayned with theyr charytable besynesse / and with theyr teeres / how they bynde me with theyr ferueÌ„t desyres ¶ And thou doughter knowes well / that thou hase bouÌ„de me with that chayne / whiche I gaue to the / whan thou dyd desyre me to gyue so grete a mercy to the worlde ¶ And therfore to my worshyp for helthe of soules / I gaue to my seruauntes a greate ghostly hongre / and a feruent desyre / that whan I am constrayned with theyr teeres / I maye aswage the freylnesse of my ryghtwysenes ¶ Bere therfore easly / and suffre thy teeres / thy swerynge labours / and drawe theÌ„ out / thou and my other seruauntes / and with the plentuous see of my dyuyne charyte / wasshe the and all theym therwith / before the face of my holy and amyable spouse / the whiche I call the chyrche For I say to the sothely / that theyr bewte shall be restored agayne to theÌ„ / onely by this mene / the whiche I haue shewed to the. ¶ But they sholden not haue that same bewte agayne / nother in the drede of swered / nor in greate warres / nor crueltes / but in a greate desyre of the goodnesse of pease / contynuall prayers / in meke deuoute excercyses / in shedyÌ„ge of holy teeres and in the feruent desyre of my seruauntes ¶ And so with pasyence / and with the suffrynge of many dyuers trauayles / and coÌ„trarytes / I shall fulfyll theyr greate desyre / yf it so be that youre pasyence shyne out bryght / as lyght in the derkenesse of wycked and deedly men ¶ Therfore drede you no thynge / thoughe the worlde parsu you al daye / for I shall alwaye be with you / in tyme of nede / my prudence shall not fayle you ¶ How this soule knoweth somoche of the goodnesse of god / prayed not onely for crysten people / and holy chyrche / but prayed also for all the worlde AFter this techynge / that soule arose with better knowlege than she had before / and with a full greate gladnesse ioye / stode for the before the diuine maieste / what for the hope whiche was gyueÌ„ to her of the mercy of god / what for loue the whiche she had / beholdyÌ„ge and consyderynge / that throwe holy desyre and loue / the goodnesse of god hathe done merey / and ordeyned it to man / not with stondynge / the man was become enemy to hym ¶ And iÌ„ tokeÌ„ that he wolde do mercy / he shewed a maner waye to his seruauntes by the whiche waye / they myghten refrayne and make soft his wrothe whiche he had to man ¶ She was thanne toyfull in all worldly parsecucyoÌ„s / voydynge alwaye all drede myghtly toke to her the streynghes of holy desyre / to pray for al the world in somoche that she was not full rested with that she sholde haue mercy onely for all crysten people / and for all holy chyrche / but euer with a greate hope trust / mekely she asked mercy for all the worlde ¶ And not with stondynge / that her seconde petycyoÌ„ conteyned the profyte / bothe of vntrewe people out of the faythe / and of all crysten / in the reformacyoÌ„ of the chyrche Yet neuer the later she was so desyrous of the faluacyon of all / that her holy prayer and charyre thanne stretchyd abâ—ode to all the worlde / as god hymselfe made her to aske the same petycyon / whiche petycyon myghtly she asked with a loude voyce / and sayde
¶ Holy god bowe downe thâ— mercy / to thy ghostly flocke of shepe / as a good a very crewe shepeherde ¶ Lorde hye the fast to helpe all the worlde / tary not to gyue them mercy / for now they latken grace ¶ O gracyous lorde the sothefastnesse withouten ende / it semeth that man is pryued of thy charyte that is to saye of the loue the whiche sholde be grounded in the charytably louynge themselfe togyder / and the aboue all ¶ How that god made a compleynt on his reasonable creatures / and specyally for theyr owne ê“pre loue / whiche reygneth in them / where he styrreth the soule to prayers / and teeres THaÌ„ our lorde was fore styrred to mercy and for oure hèlthe / he ordeyned in this soule / how her loue and sorowe myght be encreased to helpe mannes soule / shewynge her with how greate loue he had mad the worlde as it is sayde before and sayde to her thus Thou sees howe the euery man offendeth me / I of my goodnesse made them of nought / with the flamme of greate loue / and how I haue endowed theÌ„ with the gyfte of plentuous graces / and gyftes with out noÌ„bre / onely of my specyal grace of no dewte ¶ Beholde doughter how that they gone agaynst me / with dyuerse / many / and vnnumerable synnes / and dayly done offende me / and namely with theyr owne wret chydnesse / synfull lyuynge of theÌ„selfe / of the whiche wycked loue / cometh out all synne and wyckednesse ¶ With this this wycked loue / all the worlde they haue venymed ¶ For ryght as my loue the is onede to theyr loue / with the loue of theyr neyghbour / holdeth and kepeth all sothefastnesse iÌ„ them as it is shewed before ryght so the sencyble loue holdeth in them / all euyl and vntruthe that loue cometh of pryde ¶ So in the contrary wyse / as my loue cometh of charyte / so that fals loue coÌ„teyneth in theÌ„ all euyll ¶ And this euyll they do by the mene of some creature / that is not in very charyte of his neyghbour / for they louen not me / and they loue not theyr neyghbour ¶ For those two loues muste be knytte togyder ¶ Thus I sayde to the before / the euery good thynge and euery euyll thynge / is done by some mene of his neyghbour ¶ In many other wyses I maye make my compleynt on man / for he receyued nothynge of me but good / and he yeldeth to me agayne hatered dothe all euyll ¶ Therfore I sayde to the / the I sholde aswage my wrothe / by the shedynge of my seruaun tes terres / and so I saye to the now agayne ¶ Therfore ye that ben my seruauÌ„tes / tourneÌ„ my dyuyne dome with youre deuoute prayers / greate desyres / and with sharpe with byt ter sorowes / for offenses done to me and to theyr harmes and so my wrothe shal asswage ¶ How no maÌ„ maye scape the handes of god / but he must abyde his ryghtwysnesse / or his mercy DOughter knowe it for a truthe / that no man may scape my handes / for I am he the am euerlastynge beynge / ye beÌ„ not nor haue no beyÌ„ge of your selfe / but asmoche as ye haue beynge of me / the whiam maker former of all thynges the haueÌ„ beynge / out take synne that is nought ¶ Bycause it is not made of me / therfore in no maner it is byloued Therfore a creature that is blynded he offendeth / for he loueth that whiche he shold not that is to saye synne / and hathe me in hate / whome he is bounde to loue ¶ I am all good / and I gaue to man be ynge / with a feruent loue / he may not scape frome me / for of my ryght wysenesse / he shall abyde here in my handes and power for his synnes / or here by my mercy pyte ¶ Ther fore open thyne eyen of intelleccyon and beholde my power / and thou shall se / that it is trewe that I sayde to the ¶ Than she lyfte vp her gostly eye / to obeye to the fader in heuen / she sawe iÌ„ his honde all the worlde closed ¶ Than oure lorde spake to her and sayde Go doughter and se that no man maye be take fro me for as I sayde al those that abyden here / abydeÌ„ of my ryghtwysenesse / or els of my mercy ¶ For al they beÌ„ myne al of me they haue brought forthe and I loue them more than may be spoken ¶ Therfore not wtstondyÌ„ge theyr wyckednesse / with the helpe good menes of my seruauntes / I shall gyue them mercy ¶ And for thy greate loue / also for thy greate sorowe / I shall fulfyll thy peryeyon ¶ How this soule whan she swette water for a brennynge desyre / in the tyme of prayer / desyred that she myght swete blode THis soule than for greate enerese of hely desyre / was made blyssed / and fulfylled with an holy sorowe ¶ Blyssed she was / for the oneheed she made iÌ„ gody tastyÌ„ge and sauourynge his goodnesse / all fulfyled woith Ioye in his mercy ¶ She was also fulfylled with sorowe whan she knewe the hyghe maieste of god / so greately offended ¶ And than she gaue thaÌ„kynges to the good nesse of god / and knowynge the same goodnesse / and the manyfolde defautes of maÌ„kynde / she rose quyckly as it had ben fro dethe / throwe a greate desyre ¶ And after this whan she knewe in herselfe / the selynge of her soule / so woÌ„derfully renued in that euer beyngt godheed / that her holy loue / and delectable brennyÌ„ge was somoche eÌ„cresed / the she swette water throwe the myght and vyolence / the whiche the soule dyd to the body ¶ For the oncheed whiche the soule made in god / was more parfyte than is the bonde of the oneheed / bytwyxe the soule and the body ¶ Therfore of the streynghe of loue / she had that swetynge hete / but she dyspysed the swerynge / for the affeccyoÌ„ that she had / was with greare desyre to haue swe tynge to come oute of her body all of blode ¶ And in that desyre she spaketo her selfe / and sayde Alas my soule that thou hase lost thus the tyme of this wretched lyfe / and for the losse of thy tyme / many harmes wyckednesses out of nombre haue sall in all the worlde / bothe partycu lâ—tly / and in comyn / and specyally iÌ„ all holy chyrche ¶ Wherfore I wyll and desyre / that thou remedy ouer all these harmes / with the sroetyÌ„ge of blode ¶ Beholde systren and se / how swetely that soule hathe kepte in my ndâ— / the noble doctryne / e whiche euer beynge sothefastnesse had raughte her / and betake her that is to saye in knowynge herselfe and the goodnesse of god in her / and spedefull remedyes for reparacyon of all
of pardycyon / and they ben the chyldren of the fader of losse that it to saye the chyldren of the fende ¶ And for asmoche as they gone by the gate of pardycyoÌ„ / they ben punysshed with euer lastynge dampnacyon ¶ And now thou maye well parceyue / that I haue shewed the bothe of the way of sothefastnes and the waye of pardycyon that is to say I haue shewed the my way whiche is the hyghe sothefastnes / the waye of the fende / whiche is the very waye of pardycyon / or dampnacyoÌ„ ¶ How meÌ„ gone with grete trauayle these two wayes / whyder they gone by the brydge / or by the stode and of the delyte that a soule hathe / the whiche gothe by the brydge O Hese ben the two wayes / whyther way a man gothe / he passeth with grete dyffyculte ¶ Beholde therfore and se what ignoraunce and blyÌ„denesse is in man / that whan ther is made to hym a sure waye / and also shewed how he sholde go that waye / and yet he wyll holde hym by the bryÌ„ke of the water ¶ The waye the is made and shewed / is so delectable to them that gone therby / that all theyr byrternesse is tourned into greate ioye and swetenes / and eurry heuy bur then / is made to them full lyghte ¶ And they that beÌ„ in bodyly derkenesse / fynden here a greate lyghte ¶ Also they that lyueÌ„ deedly in this worlde / they shall fynde a lyfe / the whiche shall be styll in payne and neuer dye ¶ And all those that sauouren the lyfe of the holy faythe by the desyre of loue I fynde here the sothefastnes euer beyÌ„ge ¶ Whiche sothefastnesse / promyseth hym that trauayleth for me / coÌ„forte and refresshynge of me / whiche am lyberal and knowyÌ„ge who dothe for me ¶ And also I am ryghtful / yeldynge to euery maÌ„ after his werkes ryghtfully ¶ Wherfore it is sayde / there is no euyll vnpunysshed / no good dede vnrewarded ¶ Thy tongue suffyseth not to tell the myrthe and gladnesse that he hathe whiche gothe by this waye / nor it maye not be herde nor sene ¶ For iÌ„ this lyfe partely he tasteth / and as he hathe parte of the taste / so he sauoureth partely that same gladnesse / whiche is ordeyned and made redy to hymselfe / in the lyfe that lasteth euer ¶ Than he maye well be called a foole / that voydeth suche a goodnesse / and taketh hym rather in his lyfe to taste the bytternes of hel / goynge by a lower waye with infynyte labour / and without ony comforte or refresshynge ¶ For by theyr owne defautes / they beÌ„ vtterly pryued of me / whiche am the hyghest and euer beynge goodnesse ¶ Therfore I wyll that thou / and my other seruauntes / abyde in contynuall bytternesse and sorowe / for wronges done to me ¶ Also that ye haue compassyon of the harme and ygnoraunce / with the whiche yâ—no rance / they offendeÌ„ me greuoufly ¶ And now thou maye compreheÌ„de in the / how it is of this brydge / that it maye be opened in the / after thy desyres / and bytter wepynges / as I haue sayde to the before ¶ The thyrde chapitre sheweth how oure lorde whan he ascended vp to heuen / he departed hym not fro the erthe ¶ Also hold this soule as she woÌ„dered on the mercy of god / she besyed her to thynke on the multytude of his gyftes and graces / whiche came of that mercy Ca. iii. AFter that my sone came agayne to me / the fourty day after his resurreccyon / thaÌ„ was this brydge lyfted fro the erthe that is to saye fro the conuersacyon of deedly meÌ„ / and by my dyuyne nature / he ascen ded iÌ„ to heueÌ„ / syttyÌ„ge on the ryghte syde of me / that am his fader / as the angell sayde to his dyseyples / in the daye of his ascencyon / whan they stoden as deed men and amased / by cause theyr hertes wereÌ„ rauysshed vp in to heuen ¶ At the wordes of this angell / whan he sayde / throwe the wysdome of my sone / he wylleth not to abyde here longer / for he sytteth on the ryght hande of his fader ¶ And whan he was reysed vp on heyghte / and came agayne to me that am his fader / thaÌ„ I sende a mayster that is to saye the holy ghost / whiche came with my myght / and with the wysedome of my sone / and with the mercy of that same holy ghoste / for he is one with me that am the fader and with my sone ¶ Therfore that holy ghost hathe strenghed the waye of doctryne / whiche my sothefastnesse lefte in the worlde ¶ Wherfore all be it the doctryne wente away that is to saye his presence went awaye ¶ Neuerthelesse that doctryne whiche is the waye of parfeccyon / wente not fro you / the whiche way this gloryous and amyable brydge made to you ¶ For fyrste he made and wroughte the waye with his vertuous werkes / she wynge to you doctryne more by ensample than by worde ¶ For fyrst he began rather to do / than to teche ¶ The mercy of the holy gost certyfyed and made sure this true doctryne / streÌ„gthed the hertes and the soules of his dyscyples / to trust on this sothefastnes and to shewe this waye ¶ That is to saye / the doctryne of cryst my sone crucyfyed / repreuynge the worlde of vnryghtwysenesse / and of false iudgemeÌ„tes ¶ Of the whiche vnryghtwysenesse and false iudgemeÌ„tes / I shall tell the afterwarde more dyffusely ¶ This haue I sayde to the / that ther sholde be no derkenes in theyr soules that heren this / as thus ¶ Yf there be ony that wolde saye / we se wel that there is made a brydge / of this body of cry st / for the the oneheed of byuyne nature / with oure nature of maÌ„heed ¶ This we se well is true / but this brydge whaÌ„ he ascended in to heuen / he went fro oure presence ¶ He was to vs the waye of sothefastnesse / and taught vs with his vertuous werkes and examples ¶ What is lefte to vs nowe / and were shall we fynde the way I speke now to the / as thoughe I spake to them / whiche ben thus blynded ¶ Ye haue the way of this parfyte doctryne confyrmed of the apostles / and declared in the blode of matyrees / lyghtned with the clere lyght of doctours / and knowleged of the confessours ¶ And of that waye wereÌ„ made open instrumeÌ„tes / by the holy euangelystes / the whiche abyden as wytenessers / to make a sothefastnesse in the ghostly body of holy chyrche / they ben as a lanterne breÌ„nynge / and set vpon a caÌ„dlestycke / that they sholden deme the waye of sothefastnesse / whiche ledeth to the waye of lyfe / by the parfyte lyghte of clerenes ¶ Also these wytnessers hadden knowynge by experyence / for they hadden
herselfe to the greate floode / no regarde takynge / nor hede / how slyper how swyfte the water is / and how it abydeth no creature ¶ The .iiii. chapytre is how the fruyte of this tree is asmoche dyuers / as is the dyuersyte of synnes ¶ And here he sheweth fyrste of the fiesshly synne / and the fruyte of some trees is auaryce ¶ And of some comen vnryghtwysenesse / and specyally of suche meÌ„ that haue the state of domynacyon / and so forthe of other synnes / as is made meÌ„cyon before to you in the kalendre Ca. iiii OVre lorde here speketh to this mayde / and saythe thus ¶ Without doubte there ben as dyuers euyl fruytes of this tree / whiche bryngen dethe / as be dyuers kyndes of synnes ¶ Thou may se some kynde of vnreasenable beestes / and those ben lykened to suche men that lyuen vncleÌ„ly / whiche done with theyr body and soule / as a sowe that waloweth in a stynkynge myre / and that is whan suche wretches defoulen theÌ„ selfe / in the fylthe of flesshly synne ¶ O wretched / foule / and full of synnes / where hase thou lefte thy dygnyte thou became a dere beloued syster of angels / thou arte made as an vnreasonable beest / in somoche in so many myseres that not onely thou shall not be suffred of me in that fylthe / the whiche am al pure clene ¶ But also those fendes / to whome thou arte become as a frende / bounde / maye not se nor suffre somoche vnclenesse be done in theyr syght ¶ Ther is no synne so abhomynable / nor no syune that someche taketh fro the soule the lyght of intelleccyoÌ„ / or of ghostly vnderstoÌ„dyÌ„ge / as this wretched synne of flesshly lust ¶ Phuosophers haddeÌ„ knowlege of this / but not throwe the lyght of grace / for they hadden not the grace / but onely nature gaue them that lyght / the suche synne blynded and stopped theyr eyen of intelleccyon ¶ And therfore to the entent / that they myghten the more lyghtly gyue them to theyr study / many of them were nyght wel content / and dyden abstayne theÌ„ fro that synne ¶ They toke on theÌ„ abstyneÌ„ce / and they vyden dyspyse ryches / that the besynesse aboute ryches sholde not let them fro theyr study ¶ Thus done not the wycked crysten men / nor he that loseth grace throwe his synÌ„es ¶ How the fruyte of some trees is auaryce / of the euyll that cometh of that synne THe fruyte of some other men / ben erthely fâ—uytes / and those ben couetous men / mysse kepers of theyr good / whiche done as a molle / whiche is alwaye nourysshed in the erthe tyl she dye ¶ And whaÌ„ the cruell dethe cometh / thaÌ„ is ther no remedy ¶ They with theyr greate desyre of erthely goodes / dythysen my goodnes / sellen them to the worlde ¶ They beÌ„ vsurers to theyr neyghbours / for they haue suche myÌ„de on theyr goodes / y they forgoten me theyr neyghbours ¶ For they dydeÌ„ loue me / they sholdeÌ„ not be so cruell to themselfe ¶ But they sholden haue pyte mercy / and worke vertuously to theÌ„selfe / and serue theyr neyghbour charytably ¶ O what wyckednesse and euyll cometh oute of this wycked synÌ„e / how many maÌ„ slaughters / theues / rauyners / with many vnlawfull lucres and crueltes of dethe / that comen out of this synne ¶ Also the vnryghtwysenes of theÌ„ sleeth the soule of theyr neyghbour / and makeÌ„ the soule not lady / but seruaunte of rychesse that is to saye she putteth behynde / the kepynge of my preceptes ¶ Suche a soule loueth not other thynges / but onely his propre profyte / that vyce cometh of pryde / and that vyce noryssheth pryde / that one cometh of the other / for this vyce bereth euermore with hym / a mannes extollynge / his owne reputacyon / and anone it falleth in to an other vyce / and so he falleth fro euyll in to more euyll / by that wretched pryde / whiche is full of euyll wyll / and it is a greate fyre / smytynge out a smoke of vayne glory / and vahyte of the herte / and reioyseth hym of good that is not his ¶ It is also a rote that hathe many braunches / of the whiche a mannes owne excellence / is the pryncypall braunche ¶ And that is whaÌ„ a maÌ„ holdeth hymselfe more worthy / more cunnynge than he is ¶ Of suche reputacyon / cometh vnordynate desyre that is to saye desyre to be more worthy and at more reputacyon thaÌ„ his neyghbour / shewynge forthe an herâ—e fened / not trewe nor fre / but double ¶ For he feneth the one in the monye / and hathe an other in the herte / hydeth the trewethe maketh lyes / for his owne profyte ¶ Also of this rote of pryde / cometh a wycked braunche of enuy / and the is a worme / whiche is alwaye fyghtynge and fretyÌ„ge / suffreth them neuer to holde them plesed / nor to be gladde for theyr owne profyte / nor for the profyte of theyr neyghbours ¶ How shall this wycked kynde of suche synners / the ben set in so greate mysery / do ony sacryfyce to poore men / with the substauÌ„ce of theyr good whan they taken awaye other mennes goodes ¶ Howe shall a man bryÌ„ge forthe a clene soule fro ynclennesse / whan they putten the soule in vnclennesse / for sometyme they ben become so beestly / that they dreden not to take theyr owne doughters / or other of theyr kynne / but with theÌ„ they falleÌ„ in to moche wretchednesse and fylthe / neuerthelesse my mercy abydeth and supporteth theym ¶ And I bydde not that the erthe sholde swalowe them / but I abyde and suffre them to amende theyr lyues ¶ How shall they be able than to put theyr lyues for helthe of soules / whan they done not the substauÌ„ce of theyr owne helthe ¶ O wycked vyces full of mysery / whiche draweth downe the heuen of the soule ¶ I call the soule heuen / for I made the soule an heuen / in the whiche I ordeyned me to abyde by grace / reue rende me in her ¶ And for loue I made me a bydynge place in her / nowe she is gone fro me / as a voutrer louynge herselfe / and other creatures more than me and not onely that but more ouer she maketh a god of herselfe / and parsueth me with dyuers synnes ¶ And all this she dothe / for she bethynketh her not / of that greate benefyte that I dyd for her / whan I shedde my bloode for mankynde / by my endeles charyte ¶ How vnryghtfulnes is the fruyte of some mennes teeres / the whiche stonden in the state of dampnacyon OTher there ben whiche bereÌ„ theÌ„selfe full hyghe by theyr lordeshyp / in the whiche hyghenesse / they vsen moche vnryghtwysenesse agaynste me / agaynst
is somoche / that they maye not desyre nor wyll ony goodnesse / but alwaye they dyspysen me with blasphemyÌ„ge And wyll thou knowe why they haue no appetyte nor desyre to goodnes / for that lyfe of a maÌ„ whaÌ„ it is deed that fre choyse to good or yll is coÌ„streyned / and fro that tyme passed / they maye go no forther ¶ Yf they dyen in hatered with deedly synÌ„e / alway after the soule is bounde with the boÌ„des of hatered / of that dyuyne ryghtwysenes / he abydeth obstynate iÌ„ the peyne that he suffreth / alway fretyÌ„ge hyÌ„selfe with peynes / whiche beÌ„ added encresed to hyÌ„ / fro tyme to tyme. ¶ And specyally they beÌ„ partyners of theyr peynes / of whom they wereÌ„ the pryÌ„cypal cause of theyr daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ as the ryche man that was dampned gaue you ensample / whan he asked for grace / that Lazarus sholde go iÌ„ to the worlde to his brederne for to shewe them his cruell peynes ¶ He asked not for compassyoÌ„ / nor for charyte that he had to his brederne / for he was pryued of that compassyon and of charyte ¶ And he myght desyre no goodnesse / nother to my worshyppe / nor to theyr helthe for as I sayde to the they may do no good to theyr neyghbour ¶ Me they blasfeme / bycause they dydé ende theyr lyues in hatered of me / in hate of vertues ¶ Why does thou aske thaÌ„ the ryche maÌ„ that Lazarê° sholde shewe to his brederne / what peynes he suffred this was the cause for that ryche man had many brederne / he was the oldest of theÌ„ / he noryshed theÌ„ in synne and wretchydnesse / in the whiche he was vsed alwaye hymselfe / wherfore he was cause of theyr daÌ„pnacyon parpetual / for whiche cause he sawe before what encrese of peynes he sholde suffre / whaÌ„ they wereÌ„ comen to tourmeÌ„tes to hym / in whiche peynes euermore they frete theÌ„selfe with hatered ¶ Of the blysse ioy of chosen soules IN the contrarywyse a ryghtfull soule / the whiche endeth her lyfe in affeccyon of charyte and is kâ—yte with the bonde of loue / maye not be encresed in vertues / after the tyme her lyfe is passed ¶ But suche a soule maye alwaye loue / with the same loue that she cometh to me / with the same mesure / she shall be mesured agayne ¶ He that coueteth me / alway hathe me / wherfore his desyre is not voyde / but whan he hathe me / he is fylled with repleccyon ¶ And whan he is replete / yet he is made hongry for desyre / but werynesse is fer tro repleccyon / and peyne is ferre frome suche hongre ¶ With loue they Ioye togyder / in the euerlastyÌ„ge syght of me / and to be partetakers of that I haue iÌ„ my selfe ¶ Euery soule as he hathe deserued / more or lesse that is to saye in the same mesure of loue / in the whiche they came to me / the very same shall be mesured to them / for al they dyden lyue in the loue of me / and of theyr neyghbours ¶ And so in that comyn charyte / with the whiche they were all ioyned togyder / and also with a specyall and a profounde loue the whiche cometh out of the bonde of the same charyte ¶ They beÌ„ in ioye togyder with gladnes / and they beÌ„ all made glad with ioye togyder / euery mannes goodnesse medled togyder the one with the other / with affeccyon of charyte besydes the vnyuersal goodnesse / the whiche they reioyce togyder ¶ They done ioye also with greate gladnesse / with the nature of angels / with the whiche angels / the soules of seyntes ben set after the multytude of dyuers vertues / whiche they hadden pryncypally beynge in the erthe / and all ben knytte togyder with chayne of charyte / the whiche maye not be dyssolued ¶ Also they ioye with them in a synguler partycypacyoÌ„ of blys with whome they were knyte togyder with a partyculer loue in that worlde ¶ Throwe the whiche loue they dyden encrese here in grace vertues whaÌ„ one gaue cause to an other / to shewe to gyue laude glory to my holy name / in theÌ„ in theyr neyghbours ¶ Therfore they losen not that same loue / whan they comen to the lyfe that shall euer endure ¶ But rather they haue that same / and parte togyder / with moche more plente of loue / thaÌ„ they dyd here ¶ And whaÌ„ they haue this specyall gyfte / whiche is added for encrese of theyr blys I wolde not that you suppose / that they shold haue this partyculer onely for theÌ„selfe / it is not so ¶ For that same goodnes is had of all the holy soules in heuen / whiche be my dere beloued chosen chyldren / of all the courte / of all the ordres of angels ¶ Therfore whan a soule is come to that blys of euerlastynge lyfe / all that be there / shall haue parte of the goodnes of that soule / that soule hathe parte of theyr goodnesse and blys that be in heuen ¶ But not so that the soules nede ony araye / but thou shall vnderstonde that they haue a maner of gladnesse / a synguler ioy whiche is called Iubâ—lus that is to saye a soule of a glad songe / whiche may not be tolde by worde nor shewed by sowne of voyce ¶ For gladdenes ioye / whiche ioye they haue by the knowynge whiche they had in suche a soule ¶ They beholde suche a soule take vp frome the erthe by my mercy with pleÌ„tuousnes of grace ¶ Also they ioye togyder in me / be glad in the possessyon of goodnes / that they knowe in that soule / for that grace / the whiche the soule receyued of my goodnes ¶ That same soule is glad in me / in the holy spyrytes / in the blyssed soules in heuen / beholdynge in theÌ„ that fayre heed / and tastynge the swetenes of my charyte ¶ And the desyre of theÌ„ crye alwaye to me / for the sauynge of al before my maieste for that lyfe of theÌ„ was ended / in that charyte of theyr neyghboure ¶ That charyte they lefte not / but with that charyte they dyd pas throwe the gate of my dere sone / in the maner that I shall tell the afterwarde ¶ Wherfore thou maye well conceyue that with that bonde of that same loue / wherin they dydde ende theyr lyfe / in that same they dwel abyd / euerlastyÌ„gely they endure ¶ They be somoche ê¯formed to my wyll / that they maye not desyre / but that is my wyll ¶ For theyr fre choyse is so bouÌ„de with the bonde of my charyte / that whan the reasonable tyme of a creature / fayleth after his deth he maye nomore synne ¶ And his wyll is somoche coÌ„formed with my wyll / that thoughe they se knowe the soules of theyr fader and moder of
theyr chyldren / or of theyr other frendes they charge them not / but rather they beholden they in as my enemyes ¶ And whan they se them tourmeÌ„ted / they dyscorde iÌ„ not hyÌ„ge fro my wyll / for theyr desyres be fullfylled / the desyre of soules in blysse is to se and beholde my worshyp fullfylled in you / that yet be walkers in the way / the whiche be strauÌ„gers pylgrymes / goynge fast to the ende of dethe ¶ All your soules helthe / they that be in blysse done couer / for the desyre that they haue to my worshyp ¶ Therfore they pray alway for you whose desyre is fulfylled of my party / so that ye wtstoÌ„de not my mercy / for tomoche ignoraunce blyndenesse ¶ Forthermore those soules that be in blys / desyre to take agayne theyr bodyes for encrese of blys / that they sholde haue / whaÌ„ that soule the body come togyder / but that desyre noyeth the not / though they haue not theyr desyre / iÌ„ acte or in dede ¶ But they ioye with a ghostly desyre of knowynge / they fele tast ioyenge of that sykernes / whiche they haue of theyr desyre / that shall be fulfylled ¶ Therfore thoughe they haue not theyr desyre in acte / it noyeth theym not / for thoughe they haue it not / theyr blys faylâ—â— not / therfore the lacke of theyr 〈◊〉 / causeth theÌ„ no peyne ¶ And â—â—â—nke you not that the body gyueth 〈◊〉 blys to the soule after the resurâ—â—â—â—on ¶ It is not so / for yf it were â—o / â—â—dâ—s 〈◊〉 wolde folowe / that in to yeâ—yme they had agayne theyr bodyâ—â—â— they sholde haue in partyte blys 〈…〉 may not be / for they lacke no â—â—yon ¶ Wherfore there is no 〈…〉 man that bryngeth blys to his 〈◊〉 / but the soule shall gyue blys to 〈…〉 y. ¶ ThaÌ„ shall the soule gyue 〈◊〉 yeweher habuÌ„daunce of newe 〈◊〉 in the daye of IudgemeÌ„t so 〈◊〉 â—â—othynge of her owne flesshe 〈…〉 iefte / whan the soule deâ—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—ody by dethe ¶ Ryght 〈…〉 is made vndeedly / and al 〈…〉 in engthed in me / so shall 〈…〉 be made in the same vnyon 〈◊〉 â—oly ¶ And all the heuynesse â—â—rosyte of the body shal awaye and shall be made sotell and lyghte ¶ Wherfore thou shall vnderstonde that euery body gloryfyed / maye passe throwe the stonen walles ¶ Nother fyre nor water maye noye them / that is not by the vertu of the body / but by that vertu of thou soule ¶ Whiche soule is properly myne / gyueÌ„ to the body by grace / by loue / throwe the whiche grace loue / I formed theÌ„ / made theÌ„ to my ymage lykenes ¶ The eye of thy intelleccyon suffyseth not to se / nor thy ere 's to here / nor toÌ„gue to tell / nor maÌ„nes herte to thyÌ„ke / the grete goodnes other blys / whiche is inestimable ¶ O doughter what grete ioy haue they / whiche euer beholde me that am all good ¶ O how moche solace they shall haue / whan they shal be gloryfyed in theyr bodyes ¶ Whiche solace al be it they sholden not haue in to the daye of dome yet sholde the soules haue no peyne for that lacke of theyr bodyes / for that blyssed heed of the soule fayleth not / for she is euer full of blys in herselfe / to the whiche blys / she shall come with the body / as I haue sayde before ¶ I tolde the of the goodnes that maye not be thought / the whiche a body gloryfyed shal haue in the humanyte gloryfyed of my dere sone / whiche humanyte gyueth to you clerely a sykernes of your resurreccyoÌ„ ¶ Ther they ioy make theÌ„ glad in his wouÌ„des / whiche wouÌ„des cese not to cry euery day mercy for you to me that am the fader ¶ All blyssed soules be coÌ„forted with hym in ioye and gladnes / eye with eye / and with honde / and with all that hole body of my onely sone ¶ All ye sholde be confyrmed in me a bydynge / so ye sholde dwell in hym / for he is all one with me ¶ The eye of your body as I sayde / shall haue gladnes iÌ„ the humanyte gloryfyed of my sone ¶ And this is the cause / for theyr lyues ended in the loue of my charyte ¶ And therfore with that charyte they ben parseuer auÌ„te / abydâ— euerlastyÌ„gely ¶ Not so that they may do ony good / but they Ioye in that loue whiche they had that is to say for they maye not haue ony merytory dede in excersyce ¶ For here in this lyfe onely / meÌ„ synne do merytory dedes as theÌ„ lyke at theyr owne wyâ— with theyr fre choyse ¶ They that abyde iÌ„ blys / abyde not the dyuyne dome with drede / but with ioye ¶ The face of my sone shall not be seen drede full to theÌ„ nor ful of hate / for asmoche as theyr lyfe ended in my loue / in the benyuoleÌ„ce of theyr neyghbours ¶ Thou shall also vnderstonde / that there shall no chauÌ„gyÌ„ge of face be iÌ„ hyÌ„ to theyr syght / wha he cometh to Iudge in my maieste / but in theÌ„ that shall be â—udged of hyÌ„ / to theÌ„ ther shall be dredefull chauÌ„gynge of lokyÌ„ge ¶ He shal appere to that soules that shall be dapned with ryghtwysenes hatered / to theÌ„ that shall be saued / with mercy loue ¶ ThaÌ„ after the generall IudgemeÌ„t the peyne of dampned soules shall encrese DOughter I haue tolde that of the dygnyte of ryghtfull men / by the whiche thou maye know that more lyghtly / the mysery of theÌ„ that be dampned ¶ This is an other peyne to theyr myseryes / for to beholde somoche blys of ryghtful meÌ„ / whiche beholdynge is to theÌ„ encrese of peynes / as it is to ryghtfull meÌ„ the daÌ„pnacyon of them that be dampned / an addycyon of gladnes of my goodnes / for lyghte is better knowe for derkenes / and derkenes for lyghte ¶ Therfore the syght of seyntes shall be to them peyne / and with peyne they adyde the laste daye of Iudgement / for they se well therby grete encrese of peyne to them / so it shal be ¶ For whaÌ„ it shall be sayde to theÌ„ with an hortyble voyce / Aryse ye that be deed come to the Iudgement / than shall the soule go agayne to the body ¶ And in ryghtfull meÌ„ the body shall be gloryfyed / of theÌ„ that shal be daÌ„pned the body shall be tourmented wtout ende ¶ And grete stryues shall be ymonge them / and repreues in beholdynge of my sothefastnes / and of blyssed seyntes ¶ And thaÌ„ the worme of conscyence freteth that marowz of that tree that is the soule / and the vtter rynde of the tree that is the body / the holy blode that was shed for theym they shold vndernyme ¶ Also theyr dedes of mercy teÌ„poral spyrytual / they sholde repreue
some goodnes / also this boke maketh mencyon of a vysyoÌ„ that this blyssed vyrgyn had with dyuers and many maters / as it is rehersed before iÌ„ the kalender Caâ— i THe fende a mynystre ordeyned of my ryghtwysenesse to tourment soules / whiche greuously offende me ¶ And I ordeyned theym in this lyfe / that they sholde tempte and do greate greuaunce to my creatures ¶ Not for my creatures sholden be ouercome / but forthey sholden ouercome the fende / and that they sholde receyue of me the glory of vyctory / throwe the vertu that is pryued in them ¶ And therfore no maÌ„ shall drede the temptacyons of the fende / for ony batayle that shall befall hyÌ„ ¶ For I haue ordeyned meÌ„ to be stronge / and I haue gyueÌ„ theÌ„ the strengthe of a wyll / the whiche is made myghty in the blode of my sone / whiche wyll no fende nor creature maye remoue / for youre wyl is toyned to you of me with a fre chose therfore ye maye kepe that wyll at your owne choyse as you lyke and releshe it yf ye wyll ¶ That wyll is an armure / whiche ye put in the hoÌ„de of youre aduersary ¶ And but that ye take hede / it is a swerde wherwith he smyteth you / and sometyme sleeth you ¶ Neuerthelesse yf a man take not this sharpe swerde of his wyll in to the hondes of the fende that is to saye that he assente not to his temptacyons and greuaunces / he shall neuer be hurte with deedly synne throwe ony temptacyoÌ„s / but rather those teÌ„ptacyoÌ„s shall strengthe hyÌ„ so that he opeÌ„ his eye of intelleccyon to beholde my charyte / whiche charyte suffreth you to be tempted onely / that ye sholde come to the rewarde that is ordeyned for vertu ¶ No man may attayne to vertues / but throw the knowynge of me / and of hymselfe / whiche knowynge is most parfytely had in the tyme of temptacyons ¶ For than a man knoweth hymselfe / that he is nought of hym selfe whan he maye not remoue and put awaye the peynes and greuaunces the whiche he desyred to voyde ¶ And than he knoweth me also in his propre wyll / for his wyl is made stronge of my goodnes / for asmohce as he coÌ„senteth not to suche wycked thoughtes ¶ More ouer the eye of his intelleccyon seeth that my charyte suffreth those thoughtes / for that fende is feble of hymselfe / he maye do nought / but iÌ„ asmoche as I suffre and withdrawe my honde ¶ I suffre hym not for hatered that I haue to you / but for grete loue / not for ye sholde be ouercome of hyÌ„ / but that ye sholde ouercome hym / that ye maye therby come to the parfyte knowlege of me / and of youreselfe ¶ Also that vertu maye haue experyence therby / for vertu hathe no experyence / but by his contraryte ¶ Therfore beholde well and se that the fendes be but my mynystres / other to tourment the that be dapned in hell / other to tourmente men in this worlde for excersyce in vertues / and experyence in the soule ¶ And yet theyr entent is for no excersyce in vertues / nor for experyence / for they haue not somoche charyte / but to that entent / that they wolde take awaye frome them vertues / and that maye they not / but ye wyll ¶ Sees thou not doughter how moche is the foly of deedly men whiche make them so feble / so that I haue fulfylled them with so grete strengthe / they put themselfe iÌ„ to the hondes power of fendes ¶ And therfore I wyl that thou knowe / that at the ende of theyr dethe / for asmoche as they made themselfe soget to the power of the fende / without constrenynge / for the fende maye not compel them / but wylfully they put theÌ„selfe in to the power of the fende / therfore at the last ende whaÌ„ they come to deth / they abyde not other iudgement / but with that wycked domynacyoÌ„ / they deme themselfe by wyckednesse of theyr conseyence ¶ And so without ony hope they pas forth to euerlastynge peynes of hell / and hell is streyned of theÌ„ with hatered and or euer that they come to hell / here they haue take it for theyr hyre and rewarde / this thou maye se by ensamble of a ryghtfull man ¶ As ryghtfull men whiche lyued in charyte / and dye in loue whan the ende or dethe cometh / yâ— they haue lyued partyâ—â—ly in this lyfe in vertu / and be made lyght and bryght with the lyght of feythe with crylte shewth the cye of parfyte hope / the good and that profyte of the blode of the holy lambe my sone whiche I haue ordeyned to them / than that goodnesse they coll and clyppe with armes of loue / and â—â—reyne me to them in the laste ende â—theyr lyues / with hausynges of loue / whiche am the most souerayne euerlastynge loue ¶ Than in this maner suche men taste the euerlastynge lyfe / or they leue the heuy but then of theyr body that is to saye or the soule be departed fro the body ¶ Other ther be the lyued in comune charyte / that were not in so grete parfeccyon / and whan they came to the tyme of dethe / they dyd trust to my mercy with the lyght of feyth hope / whiche lyght the parfyte soules had as I haue sayde before ¶ But yet they haue not the lyght of teythe nor hope so parfytely / as parfyte soules haue / but they haue lyght and hope vnparfyte ¶ And all be it they be vnparfyte / yet they haue my mercy whan they knowe and knowlege that my mercy is more and larger than theyr synnes ¶ But wycked men worke in the coÌ„trary / they se and beholde theyr abydyÌ„ge place of peyne without ony hope / that they take wtoute my charyte / as I sayde before ¶ Wherfore nother of these twayne abyde other Iudgement / but whaÌ„ they sholde pas / eueryone knoweth the place and abydynge whyder they sholde go / or they be departed fro the body that is to saye they the sholde be daÌ„pned knowe theyr place with peyne without charyte with hatered and dyspyracyon ¶ They also that ben partyte and shal go to blys knowe theyr abydyÌ„ge in blys with the lyght of feythe / and with loue / and with truste of the vertu of the holy blode shedynge / of the holy meke lambe of my sone ¶ And other that be vnparfyte with truste on mercy and with the lyght of feythe / passe forthe to the place of purgatory / wher they shall be purged and made parfyte / and so to obtayne the blysse of heueÌ„ ¶ How that the fende alwaye catcheth soules vnder the coloure of some goodnesse / and how they that gone by the grete floode and not by the brydge be dysceyued and go to losse TAke thou hede nowehowe I haue tolde the / howe the
the soule in asmoche as with a very trewe wyll / they ben conformed and made lyke to me / therfore it is to them greate coÌ„forte ioye / to suffre peyne for me ¶ The seruauntes of the worlde ben tourmented / bothe within and without and specyally within / for the greate drede they haue to lose theyr temporall goodes / and also for loue / desyrynge that they maye not haue ¶ Other maner vexacyons that they haue besyde these / ben two pryÌ„cypall causes / that is drede of losynge / loue of wynnyÌ„ge / whiche thy tongue is not suffycyent / nor yet able to tell ¶ Sees thou not now therfore the in this lyfe ryghtwysemen beÌ„ at more ease in soule thaÌ„ synners me thyÌ„ke thou sholde for thou hase nowe seen the lyuynge and the endynge of bothe ¶ How a drede that is bouÌ„den / or a seruyle drede ben not suffycyent to obtayne euerlastyÌ„ge lyfe / and how with excercyse of this drede a man may come to the excercyse of vertues NNw I haue sayde to the and declared / that there be some the whiche felen them tourmented of worldely try bulacyons / and I wyll that it be so / that a soule maye knowe her imparfeccyoÌ„ and ende / also to knowe that this wretched lyfe / that worldely vanyce is vnparfyte and traÌ„sytory ¶ This a soule maye knowe by this token / whan she desyreth inwardely me / that am her ende by suche inwardely desyre / a soule begynneth fyrst to put awaye the cloude that hathe longe blynded her fro the clere syghte of vertu ¶ And than by seruyle drede of trybulacyons / she begynneth to come out of the floode that she had loÌ„ge be dreÌ„ched in / castyÌ„ge out fro her the venym / with the hate that she was poysoned with / the whiche was cast out of the scorpyon in the lykenesse of golde / and so was receyued vnmanerly / and nothynge manerly / wherfore it was tourned to them that dyd receyue it / in to venyÌ„ ¶ They knowyÌ„ge this begyÌ„nynge gracyously to aryse / towarde the hauen begyn to set theyr pases / cleâ—ynge fyrste to the same brydge / of the whiche I spake of before ¶ Neuerthelesse it is not ynoughe onely for to go to this brydge with seruyle drede / for that drede dothe nothyÌ„ge ellys but purgeth a soule fro deedly synÌ„es / but it fulfylleth not her with vertues grouÌ„ded iÌ„ loue ¶ And therfore it is not ynoughe onely in seruyle dride to wynue euerlastynge lyfe / but yf the fete be sette vpon the tyrste steppe of the brydge / that is desyre and affeccyon / the whiche be e the fete of the soule / bryngyÌ„ge her in to affeccyon of my very sothefastnesse / of the whiche as I sayde before / I haue made a brydge ¶ This is the ladder / vpon the whiche I wolde ye sholde step vp / for my very sone hath made ladders to step vpon ¶ Neuerthelesse sothe it is / that this is a generall rysynge / whiche comynly worldely men do vse / that is for to ryse fyrste for drede of peyne ¶ And also bycause that ofte tymes aduersytes of this worlde bryngeth them in to greate heuynesse / and therfore a man begynneth to be dyspysed with them ¶ And yf they vse this drede with lyght of trewe feythe / doubte not but they shall come to the loue of vertu ¶ There ben some that gone out so dull so slugyshly out of this depe floode of worldely loue / that ofte tymes they fallen therin agayne ¶ For after tyme they come to the haueÌ„ of that stoode / by comynge agaynst them of contrary wyndes / the ben ouertyrued agayne by the reawes of the see / vnto the cloudy vallaye of derkenesse of the wretchydnesse of this lyfe ¶ And thoughe ther come a happy wynde / they wyll not in no wyse quyckely step vpon the fyrste degre / that is affeccyon and loue of vertu to ghostly delyces / but as meÌ„ the were made dull / slugyshly they gone forthe / I doubte not but that with suche a myse ruled plesaunce / they shal tourne backewarde ¶ Also yf the wynde or tempest blowe by vnpasyence / they wyll tourne theyr backes / bycause they hate not verely synne / onely for the offence done to me / but onely fro drede of peyne / the whiche peyne foloweth them / as them semeth ¶ This is no parfyte rysynge / for all vertues rysynge go forthe with parseuerauÌ„ce / without whome / no man maye come to the effecte and spede of his desyre / that is to that ende for whome he brgan / to the whiche he shal neuer come with out parseueraunce / and therfore that his desyre maye be fulfylled / parseuerauÌ„ce is ryght nedeful ¶ I sayd also to the that suche tournen them after dyuers styrrynges / that fall to theÌ„ / other by impugnynge of theyr owne sensualyte within themselfe agaynst the spyryte / or els by tournynge of theyr affeccyons / by vnordynate loue to all creatures without me / or els by vnpasyence of wroÌ„ges that ghey do suffre / other offendes / or of dyuers outwarde batayles / and other whyle by styrrynge chastysynge or vexynge of ghostly enemyes / that they myght brynge them the soner in to shame and confusyoÌ„ / sayenge thus to theÌ„ ¶ The good thynge the whiche thou hase begonne / shall be to the no profyte / for thy synnes and defautes be more than those ¶ This the enemy dothe / for he sholde leue of / cees of suche vertues and desyres / that he hathe begonne ¶ Otherwyse also he teÌ„pteth hym with to moche delyte and delectacyon of his good dedes / that is with the hope that he receyueth of my mercy / sayenge thus to hym ¶ Why wyll thou laboure and vexe thyselfe / be glad and ioyfull in this lyfe / thynkynge that at the last thou shall haue mercy ¶ In this wyse and in many other sotell dyuers maners of temptacyons wretchydly they gone abacke / and in no wyse they ben parseuerauÌ„t and stydfast ¶ And the cause of al this is nothyÌ„ge elles / but that the roote of her owne propre loue is not fully put awaye ¶ And therfore they ben not stable and abydyÌ„ge / but with ryght grete presumpcyon they receyuen mercy by the hope that theyr enemy hathe put them in ¶ Not for they sholde worthely receyue my mercy / but that vncuÌ„nyngly as presumptuous people they shold trust therin / the whiche mercy is euery day offended by theÌ„ ¶ I gyue not my mercy to theÌ„ / they for to offende it by presumpcyoÌ„ / but bycause they sholden defende them therby fro wycked desyres of fendes fro the mysruled and dysordynate confusyon / and shame of the soule ¶ But they done the contrary / for with the arme of my mercy / they offenden me / and that is bycause they vse not / nor haue not in excersyce / theyr fyrst
the trespas of negacyon or denyenge / the whiche he dyd to my sone / he wepte full bytterly ¶ Yet neuertheles his we pynge was vnparfyte / so it was vnto the asceÌ„cyon ¶ And after tyme my sothefast sone came to me in his manhod / than Peter and all other dyscyples dyd hyde theÌ„ in an house / abydyÌ„ge there mekely the comyÌ„ge of the holy ghoste / as my sothefaste sone dyd promyse before to theym ¶ And all that tyme they for fere abode in an house reclused ¶ For euer the soule dredeth vnto the tyme it come to the very loue ¶ But they were parseuerauntly abydynge in holy wakynge / and in meke and coÌ„tynuall prayer / vnto the tyme that the holy ghoste came and fulfylled them with plentuousnes of graces ¶ And whan they were fulfylled with that greate grace / than they caste awaye dredes / and so they folowed the steppes of my sothefast sone / in prechyÌ„ge his passyoÌ„ ouer all ¶ In the same wyse asoule that desyreth to come to this ê‘feccyoÌ„ before sayd / after tyme she hathe synned deedly / is gracyously arysen / knowynge herselfe foule wretched / for drede of peyne she begynneth for to wepe ¶ And after that she aryseth fro the drede beholdeth my mercy where she fyndeth delectacyon profyte / yet it is vnparfyte ¶ Therfore lyke as it was done to Peter / to the dyscyples that were closed in / so shall it be do to suche a deuoute soule that is rysen out of synne and cometh to my mercy ¶ That is to saye / after fourty dayes I shal make her to come to parfeccyon ¶ That is after these two states / otherwhyle I shal withdrawe me fro suche a soule not by grace / but by felynge ¶ And so shewed well my sothefaste sone Ihesu / whan he sayde to his dyscyples thus ¶ I shall go / and come to you ¶ What that euer he sayde partyculerly to his dyscyples / it was sayde generally and comynly to all / bothe to them that be now on lyue / to theÌ„ that be to come ¶ Namely to them that sholde come to hym / he sayde thus ¶ I shall go / and come agayne to you / and so it was ¶ For he came vpon his dyscyples / whan the holy ghost came to them ¶ The holy ghost came not alone / but with my myghte and power he came / and with the wysedome of my sothefast sone Ihesu / the whiche is one with me ¶ And with the myldenes mekenes of the same holy ghoste that cometh fro me fro my sone / in the same wyse I saye to the. ¶ Whan a soule ryseth fro her imê‘feccyoÌ„ / I with drawe me fro her by felyÌ„ge / takyÌ„ge awaye the coÌ„forte that she had ¶ For whan she was in deedly synne / she wente awaye fro me / and I dyd wtdrawe me thaÌ„ frome her synne / bycause than she had shyt agaynst me the gate of her desyre / by the whiche the sonne of grace sholde go shyne throwe ¶ This is no defaute of the sonne / but of the creature that shyt the gate of desyre agaynst the that sonne and whan she knoweth herselfe and her owne derkenesse / than she openeth the wyndowes by holy confessyon / castynge out therby the fylthe of synÌ„e ¶ And thaÌ„ I come agayne in to that soule by grace / but yet I withdrawe me fro her by felyÌ„ge as I sayde and not fro grace ¶ This I do bycause she sholde waxe lowe and meke / and that she sholde excersyce herselfe / in sekynge me truly ¶ And also that she sholde be veryly proued in the holy lyght of feythe / so for to come to wysdome ¶ Than yf she veryly / without lokynge of ony rewarde loue me with the lyghte of lyfely and quycke feythe / and with holy hate of herselfe / she is ioyful in the tyme of labour / and demeth her 〈◊〉 vnworthy rest / and quyetnesse of soule ¶ This is the seconde thynge of the thre / of whome I tolde the before / for thoughe she fele me withdrawe / she wyl not therfore go back warde / but rather she vseth mekely her ghostly laboure / stondynge stydfastly and abydynge enclosed in the house of her owne knowlege ¶ And therfore she abydeth with a quycke feythe / the comyÌ„ge of the holy ghost that is I my selfe the whiche am the fyre of very charite ¶ How abydeth she ¶ Truly not with ydlenes / but with bodyly wakynge / and contynuall prayenge / and not onely with bodyly wakynge / but with intellectuall wakynge ¶ For that eye of vnderstondynge or Intelleccyon is not shytte but it is open and waketh with the lyght of feythe / dystryenge the thoughtes of the herte with holy hate / wakynge in the affeccyon of my charyte / and knowynge that I desyre no thyÌ„ge elles / but her holynes ¶ And that is well certyfyed and made opeÌ„ynoughe / in the blode of my sothefast sone Ihesu ¶ After tyme the eye of intelleccyon waketh thus in knowlege of her selfe and me / she prayeth coÌ„tynually / offerynge to me prayer with a good wyll an holy ¶ This is the contynuall prayer / and also she vseth her in actuall prayer / that is in suche prayers as be ordeyned by holy chyrche ¶ Thus is a soule occupyed that is departed fro imparfeccyon / and is come to parfeccyon ¶ And bycause she sholde come therto / therfore I went fro her / not put tynge awaye grace fro her / but felynge ¶ I withdrawe me fro her / that she sholde knowe her owne defautes ¶ And in that she knoweth herselfe pryued fro ghostly coÌ„forte / she feleth peyne and fyndeth herself feble / not stronge for to stonde nor stydfast ¶ By that she fyndeth the rote of ghostly loue in her owne selfe and therfore she fyndeth iÌ„ them mater of knowlege / and in reysynge vp herselfe aboue herselfe / ascendynge vpon the sete of her conscyence / therfore to ly in wayte that suche felyÌ„ge is not suffred to passe without rebukynge of the conscyence / in dystryenge of the roote of theyr owne loue with ioyfull hate and with the loue of vertu ¶ How he that loueth god vnparfytely / loueth his neyghbour vnparfytely / and of the tokens of his vnparfyte loue I wyll also that thou knowe / that all suche vnê‘fyte loue / and parfyte loue is soughte in me / by meane and medyacyon of creatures ¶ They that be symple knowe this well that louen oftetymes me and seken me iÌ„ creatures ¶ Neuerthelesse yf a maÌ„ receyue purely loue of me / without beholdynge of ony creature / thaÌ„ doubteles he sholde receyue purely and drynke the loue of his neyghboure / as a maÌ„ drynketh of a vessell / whiche is tylled in a wel whan it is drawe oute / and the lycour is drunke that was therin / than is the vessell voyde ¶ And yf a man drynke of that vessell whyle it
that fende speketh by theyr tongues / for to let deuoute prayers ¶ Of all these dysceytes she sholde set no store / but contynu in deuoute prayers / and ouerpasse suche dysceytes / by vertu of parseuerauÌ„ce ¶ O how swete is it to suche a soule and how plesaunte and lykynge to me / holy prayer excersysed in the hose of her owne knowlege / and also in the knowlege of me / openyÌ„ge the eye of vnderstondynge / with the lyght of very feythe / with the habuÌ„daunte affeccyon of my pure charyte / the whiche charyte is made to you vysyble of my vysyble onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / whan he made it opeÌ„ in his blode / the which blode maketh a soule ghostly drunke / and arayeth it ryally with the fyre of dyuyne charyte / and gyueth to her the blyssed ghostly meet of the sacrament of the auter / the whiche is kepte for the tresoure of oure moder the holy chyrche / for to be mynystred to you by the hondes of a preest my vyker / the whiche kepeth the kaye of the same blessyd body flesshe blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu very god and very man ¶ This blessyd ghostly mete is ryghte comfortable to a deuoute receyuer after the gretenesse of his desyre in what wyse that euer he receyue it / whether it be sacramentally or vertuously ¶ He taketh it sacramentally whan he receyueth the blessyd hoste of the auter / and he receyueth it vertuously and ghostly that taketh it by desyre / hauyÌ„ge mynde of that blessyd blode whiche was shed for the rauÌ„some of maÌ„kyÌ„de ¶ Suche one is ghostly drunke with the mystery of that sacrameÌ„t / and also it is brenned fulfylled with holy desyre / with the charyte bothe of me and also of his neyghbour ¶ Where getteth a soule this ¶ Truly f the house of his owne knowlege / and with ryght deuoute prayer / in the whiche she hathe lost her imparfeccyon / lyke as the dyscyples and Peter loste theyr imparfeyccyon abydynge and stondynge wtinforthe in deuoute prayer and holy wakynge and wanne the parfeccyoÌ„ ¶ Wherwith trowes thou ¶ Truly with parseuerauÌ„ce knyte with holy feythe ¶ Neuerthelesse vnderstonde not so / that a soule wynneth onely suche brennynge of loue by longe vocall prayer / as many soules vsen / whose prayer is rather in wordes than in affeccyon / the whiche setten theyr entent to nothynge elles / but to say many psalmes and many pater nosters / and whan they haue fulfylled the nombre sette / they thyÌ„ke thaÌ„ they haue done ynoughe ¶ It semeth that al suche setten theyr entent and theyr affeccyon onely in vocal prayer / and so sholde they not do / for yf they do in no other wyse / they wynne full lytle fruyte / and to me all sothe it is but lytle worthe ¶ Now thou askes me paraueÌ„ture and sayes / sholde therfore suche vocall prayer be lefte / syth it is so that all be not able to meÌ„tall prayer ¶ To this I answere and say naye / for I knowe well lyke as a soule is fyrste vnparfyte soner than it be parfyte / lykewyse her prayer is fyrst vnparfyte ¶ She shold also eschewe ydlenesse / thoughe she be parfyte vse vocall prayers / that is whaÌ„ she speketh or prayeth so / she sholde enforce her in all her myght for to reyse vp herselfe ghostly into mentall affeccyon / with generall consyderacyon of her synnes / in the mynde of my blessyd sone Ihesu / wher is fouÌ„de largenesse of my charyte / and remyssyon of synnes / and that muste be done in this wyse / that as ofte as she consydereth herselfe bothe in generall in comune wyse her owne defautes / so oft she must iwardely knowe my excellent goodnes / and so procede in ghostly excersyce with very mekenesse ¶ I wyll not that she thyÌ„ke vpon her synnes ê‘tyculerly and specyally / but generally / lest the soule be fyled by mynde of suche fylthy partyculer synnes ¶ I sayde also the I wolde that she had nother coÌ„syderacyon of her synnes in in generall / nor in specyall / wtout consyderacyon and mynde of the bloode shedde by my sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / and of my large mercy lest she fall into dyspayre / for yf the knowlege of her and consyderacyoÌ„ of her sysies were not medled with the mynde of the bytter passyon of my sone Ihesu / and also of my mercy / often tymes she sholde dwell styll in that shame and confusyon / and so to go to endeles dampnacyon with the same confusyon / and with that fende that hathe so lad her vnder the colour of contrycyon / and very dysplesauÌ„ce of her synnes ¶ This is one of the moste sotell dysceytes that the wycked fende sheweth to my seruauntes / and therfore for your profyte / and that ye myght eschewe the dysceyte of the wycked fende / and that ye maye be ryghte plesaunte to me / ye muste alwaye sprede oute youre hertes abrode to affeccyon besyre with very mekenesse in to the see of my greate myghty mercy / for thou knowes well the pryde of the fende maye not suffre a meke soule / nor his confusyon and shame may not suffre the brede and the largenesse of my goodnesse and mercy / wherin suche a meke soule hopeth feythefully and truly / therfore thou dyd well / and as my wyll was that thou sholde do / whaÌ„ thou dyd auoyde the fro that fende / whiche was aboute to throwe that downe by confusyon and shame / sayenge to the that thy lyuynge was nothynge plesynge to me / that nor thou folowed nor vertuous lyuynge after my entent and after my wyll the whiche wyll is not hydde fro hym that desyreth to haue it and lyue ther after ¶ And bycause that lyfte vp thyselfe in to my mercy sayde thus with mekenesse / I knowlege to my maker / that euer vnto this tyme I haue lyued in derkenesse / so lad my lyfe / but yet I shall hyde me in the swete blessyd wouÌ„des of my lorde Ihesu / wasshe me in his blode / so shall I waste awaye my wyckednesse / ioye iÌ„ my maker / and than thou knowes well the fende fledde fro the / neuertheles he came yet efte sones to the with an other sotel temptacyon that is he was aboute to reyse the on hyghe by pryde sayenge thus to the beholde thou arte parfyte / and god is well plesed with the / now the nedeth no more to wayle for thy synÌ„es ¶ ThaÌ„ by the lyghte of my grace / thou went in the waye of mekenesse / whaÌ„ thou an swered to that fende thus ¶ O what wretche am I / seynt IohnÌ„ baptyst synned neuer / and was halowed in his moders wombe / and yet lyued in ryghte greate penaunce / and I the moste wretched of all lyuynge / haue done ryghte greate synnes / and yet neuer began to knowe with very contrycyon waylynge what god
is / whome I haue so greately offended / and what I am / that haue so greuously offended hym ¶ Than the fende not suffcynge suche mekenesse of the soule / and the hope of my goodnesse / sayde agayne to thou thus ¶ Cursed be thou / for I may nothynge auayle in the / yf I do my greate labour to throwe the adowne in to lowe thynges by confusyon and shame / thou lyftes vp thyself to mercy / and yf I wolde enhaunce the to hyghe thynges by pryde / thou descendes lowly by mekenes and parsnes me in to hell / so that I shall neuer tempte the more / for euer thou smytes me with the staffe of charyte ¶ In all suche maners a soule sholde medle the knowlege of herselfe / with the knowlege of my mercy / my knowlege with her knowlege ¶ And after suche maner vocal prayer is profytable to a soule that vseth it / and lykynge to me / and fro suche vnparfyte vocall prayer with excersyce parseueraunce / she maye come to parfyte mentall prayer ¶ Neuerthelesse yf the entent be set symply for to fulfyll the nombre of the psalmes / or pater nosters ytaxed / or leuyÌ„ge mental prayer for vocall prayer / I tell the for truthe suche one shall neuer come to mental prayer ¶ Otherwhyse suche a soule that whan she sholde praye and saye her nombre of psalmes or pater nosters / it is so vnsauory that her tongue is lothe and dull to say / and otherwhyle she hathe suche a conscyeÌ„ce of leuynge vnsayde the psalmes and the pater nosters / whaÌ„ I vyset her somtyme one wyse / somtyme an other wyse as somtyme by the lyght of my knowlege with contrycyon of her synnes / somtyme by largenesse of my ryght greate habundaunte charyte / somtyme by manye maner wyses makynge open before the clere lyghte of her soule / as it is lykynge to me / the presence of my very truthe after the deuoute and holy desyre of the same foule / yet she wyll not leue vnsayde the nombre of psalmes or pater nosters / but moche rather she wyll leue my specyall vysytacyon that she feleth iÌ„ her soule / and so she sholde not do / for that is one of the dysceytes of the fende ¶ But anone as she parceyueth her soule touched with my specyall vysytacyon / than she shold leue vocal prayer tourne therto ¶ And whan that mental vysytacyon is withdrawe fro her / thaÌ„ to tourne agayne to vocall prayer yf she wyll make an ende of her psalmes and pater nosters that she was in purpose for to saye / yf she haue no tyme / she sholde not charge it nor be heuy therfore in her soule / but yf it be dyuyne seruyce / to the whiche bothe prestes / clerkes / and all relygyous people be bounde for to saye / and yf they saye it not they offende / for vnto the ende of theyr dethe they be bouÌ„de ther to / yf they be in he le / and yf they were touched by specyall vysytacyon in dewe tymes and houres whan they sholde say theyr dyuyne seruyce / they sholde puruaye an other tym other before or after for to say theyr dyuyne seruyce / so that it be not lefte vnsayde / that sholde be sayd of dewte ¶ Suche vocall prayer sayd / as it is before rehersed / bryÌ„geth a soule to parfeccyoÌ„ / therfore vocall prayer sholde not be lefte / than with excersyce and parseueraunce the swetenesse of prayer shall be tasted in truthe / also the blessyd ghostly meet of the body of my sothefaste sone / as it is rehersed ¶ And therfore I tolde the that some receyue chrystes flesshe his bloode vertuously / some sacrameÌ„tally comunynge that blessyd sacramente with affeccyoÌ„ of charyte / for he that gothe to that sacrament with affcecyon / he fyndeth moche swetenesse / and he that goeth ther to more of custome and vse than for affeccyon / he fyndeth lytle swetenesse / for he that enforceth hym with all his soule to make open his affeccyon in me / knytteth it to me with the very lyght of intelleccyon he knoweth moche / and he that knoweth moche loueth moche / he that loueth moche tasteth me swetely ¶ By this thou maye knowe the parfyte prayer is not goteÌ„ with many wordes / but with affeccyon of desyre reysed in me of me with knowlege of hymselfe of me ¶ And he that prayeth thus / he shall haue bothe mentall prayer vocall prayer / for they dwell togyder / lyke as actyue lyue and contemplatyue done ¶ By many maner of wyses / vocall and mentall prayer ben vnderstoÌ„de ¶ For asmoche as I sayd to the and tolde the that holy desyre is contynuall prayer / that is for to haue an holy desyre and a deuoute wyll / the whiche wyll and desyre do aryse actually in tyme and place ordeyned / with the addâ—cyon of actu / all prayer ¶ And so a soule shall vse in tyme sette and ordeyned with an holy wyll vocall prayer / and neuer oute of tyme ordeyned for to vse it namely contynually ¶ Parauenture sometyme it muste be lefte for mynystracyoÌ„ of charyte vsed to the helthe of neyghbours / somtyme for other necessary and nedeful causes / as the state besynesse axeth / that I haue sette a creature in ¶ Euery man sholde laboure to the helthe and necessytes of soules / after the state that he is called to / for what that euer he laboureth actually to the ease and helthe of his neyghboure / is for to praye vertuously ¶ For as seynt Austyn saythe / he ceseth neuer to praye well / that ceseth neuer to do well / and therfore it was that I sayd / that prayer is in many maners ¶ For actuall prayer done / as it is before sayde is done by affeccyon of charyte / for with the affeccyon of charyte is coÌ„tynual prayer ¶ Thus I haue tolde the / howe thou maye come to mentall prayer / that is by excersyce and parseueraunce of vocal prayer / how thou sholde leue vocall prayer for mentall prayer whan I vysyte thy soule ¶ I dyd saye to the also what is comune prayer / for I sayde it was prayer of good wyll / that is excersysed of charytable besynesse / bothe in the and in thy neyghboure the whiche sholde be do with a good wyll ¶ Thus a soule sholde neuer be ydle frome prayer / but other actually or meÌ„tally she sholde praye / lest she fall in to duldesse of spyryte / and in to an vnparfyte loue / for the more that she loueth / the more she shal fele profyte and loue bothe in me and in her neyghboure ¶ And here shal be shewed of a dysceyte that creatures haue somtyme / whiche loueÌ„ god and serue hym / for theyr owne comforte delectacyon Of the whiche imparfyte loue somwhat shall I tell the / of a certayne dysceyte that is goten
and wor shyp to god / whyther they wyll or wyll not ¶ ANd in somothe theyr syght is parfyte that not onely they se my worshyppe and ioye pmonge heunly creatures that dwell in blysse without ende but also ymoÌ„ge deed ly creatures / for the worlde wyll he or not / he yeldeth praysynge and louynge to the name of god / and yet in sothe they yelde me no suche louynge and preysynge as a trewe louer dothe / that loueth me aboue all thynges / but I wyll put oute and drawe oute fro them ioye and pray syÌ„ge to my name / and that is for asmoche as my ioy shyneth in them / and also the abundaunce of my charyte / by the whiche I grasite thern to haue tyme leÌ„gthe oflyfe / com maunde the erthe that he swalowe them not for theyr defautes / but I abyde them mercyfully / and bydde the erthe to gyue them of his fruyte and the sone to warme them gyue theÌ„ lyghte and here / and the fyrmament that he moue and styrre / and all other creatures whiche I made for theÌ„ / by my greate mercy and chary te I make theÌ„ vse theÌ„ / not hynge of them withdrawynge for theyr wyekednesse / but I graunte it them as well to theÌ„ as to theryghtwyse lyuers / and ofte tymes more to synners than to ryght wyse men ¶ Of ten tymes I withdrawe fro them abuÌ„dauÌ„ce of goodes / the whiche can suffre / and be able to suffre that I myght gyue them more abundasitly the endeles goodnesse of heuen for theyr pasyence / thus my mercy charyte shyneth vpon worldely meÌ„ ¶ Otherwhyle also in parsecueyoÌ„s that seruauntes of the worlde do to my seruauntes / for suche parsecucy ons they be preued in pasyence and in charyte / the whiche they offre to me with meke contynuall prayer in theyr parsecucyons / and so worshyp and praysynge is yelde to my name ¶ In this maner the worlde wyll he or not he yeldeth praysynge glory to my name / thoughe his entent be not therfore / but rather for to do to mereprefe and shame ¶ How that the fendes do yelde worshyp to god agaynst theyr wyl ALl those that dwell in the worlde to the encrese of vertues in my seruauntes by the ctuell parsecucyoÌ„s / in maner they lyue and stonde in hell as fendes do / for they be as the fendes tourmentoures / fulfyllynge the wyll of fendes whiche be theyr may sters vpon my seruauntes / and so they enerese the mede meryte of them / that be my seruauntes ledynge them agaynste theyr wyll to the ryghte waye of heuen ¶ They encrese exercyse theÌ„ in vertues / with many greuous temp tacyons heuynesses in many maners ¶ Somryme they make one to do an other wroÌ„ge / and somtyme to styrre hym for to take awaye his goodes and not onely for the good but for to make them to lose charyte wenynge that my seruaunte wyl be out of charpte / for losse of worldely goodes ¶ And in that that they wene for to make them for to lose charyte / wenynge that my seruaunte wyl be out of charyte / for losse of worldely goodes / in the that they wene for to make them lose charyte / they be the more strengthed in charyte / and preued in vertu of pasyence / strengthe / and parseueraunce ¶ In this wyse they yelde worshyp and praysynge to my name / and so in theÌ„ is fulfylled my truthe that I made them / for that worshy p an praysynge of me / that they shold take ê‘te of my fayrenesse ¶ But whan the fende rebelled to me by his pryde / he fell adowne was departed delyuered fro my syghte ¶ And therfore nowe bycause they maye not yelde to me praysynge by by loue of hery charyte in themselfe ¶ Cherfore I sende them as instru mentes of vertu to my seruauntes / for to excercyse them to vertu / also for to punesshe all suche endelesly / that for theyr dedly trespases be daÌ„pned I haue made them to them as Iuâ— tyces / and also for to purge them that gone adowne to purgatory ¶ And thus thou maye knowe and se it is fothe that my truthe is fulfylled in them / that is that they yelde to me loye and wo / shyp / not as cytysyns of endelesse ioye / fro the whiche loye for theyr owne defautes / they be tul ly vtrerly departed / but as instrumentos for vertues to my speeyall seruauÌ„tes as my Iustyces bothe to dampnable soules / also to those soules that gone to paynes oâ—purgato ry / to shew to theÌ„ my ryght wysnes ¶ How a ê‘fyte soule that is passed fro this worlde / seeth fully the glory the laude of the name of god ieuery creature ¶ And how in the soule is ended the peyne of desyre / and not the delyre ¶ Also howe seynt Paule after tyme that he was take to se the glory of them that be in blysse / he coueted to be vnbouÌ„de and vn losed frome the body / and so done they whiche come to the thyrde the fourthe foresayd state / and of other maters as it is shewed before in the kalender Ca. iiii A what is he that seeth and tasteth veryly / bow that all creatures reasonable and vnreasonable also iÌ„ fendes is seen the presynge louyÌ„ge of my name / truly a soule that is departed fro the body and is cme to me his endelesse ioye Suche a soule seeth purely and knoweth the truthe in her syghte / for by the syghte that she hathe in me euerlastynge fader / she soueth / by loue she is fulfylled / by fulfyllynge she knoweth the truthe / by knowynge of truthe she is made stydfast iÌ„ her wyll / stablyshed knytte to that mynde in suche awyse that she maâ—e in no wyse fussre peyne / for she hathe that the whiche she desyred to haue before onely for to seme and the ioy presynge of my name / the whiche ioye praysynge she seeth in my seyntes veryly fully in other holy spyrytes / in all other creatures in fendes / as I haue sayde to the before ¶ And thoughe it so be that suche a soule se offeÌ„ce trespas done to me / wherof before she was doleful forowful / thaÌ„ whaÌ„ she is in ioye than maye she haue no sorowe therfore / but onely compassyon without peyne / louyÌ„ge prayenge for them that do trespas to me that I sholde shewe them mercy by affeccyon of charyte ¶ For all be it that peyne is ended in suche a soule / charyte is encresed ¶ Ryght as my onely sothefaste sone I hesu ended peyne of his peynful desyre in his peynfull dethe vpoÌ„ the cros / whiche peynful desyre he vare fro the begyÌ„nyÌ„ge that I sende hyÌ„ in the worlde for your helthe vnto the ende of his bodyly lyfe / yet was not ended the desyre of
of me / where thou maye fynde mekenesse / holy hate / dysplesaunce of thy selfe / and feruent fere of my endelesse charyte / by the whiche thou oughte to come to the loue of thy neyghbour / shewynge to hȳ bothe profyte by bodyly mynystracyon / and also profyte of doctryne holy lyuynge ¶ I shewed the also a brydge as it stondeth / and also I shewed the the grees generall put for thre myghtes of the soule / how ther may none haue lyght of grace / but yf he ascende vpon all thre grees ¶ That is that they be gadered togyder in my name ¶ And also I declared to the the same thre grees partyculerly / for the states of the soule fygured in the body of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu chryst / which hathe made ladders for to ascende vpon / shewynge in his fete that were nay led a ladder to ascende vp by the openynge of his syde / the whiche is the seconde ladder for to ascende vp by to his mouthe / wher a soule tasteth peas rest in a maner beforesayde ¶ I shewed the also inparfeccyō of seruyle drede / īparfeccyō of suche louers that loue me vnparfytely / for swetenes that they fynde in that loue ¶ And also parfeccyon of the thyrde state of them the whiche become to peas and rest of the mouthe / by the rennynge vpon the brydge of my sones passyon with longynge desyre / fyrste ascendynge vp vpon the thre generall grees / that is to gader all the thre myghtes of the soule / wher they gader togyder all theyr vertues workynge in my name / and also of other thre grees partyculers the whiche they ascede after tyme they be passed out of the inparsyte state / and thus in sothe thou hase seen thē renne / and also I haue made the to taste parfeccyon of soule with araymētes of vertu ¶ And also to know dysceytes / the whiche a soule fyrste tasteth or that it come to parfeccyon ¶ I haue also declared to the that wretchydnes of them that gone and drenchen them in the floode / not kepynge thē by the brydge of my sothefastnes / whiche I put bycause they sholde not peryshe ¶ Yet as fooles they had leuer be drenched in wretchydnes and fylthe of this worlde ¶ Also this I haue declared to the that the fyre of holy desyre myghte encrese in the / and compassyon and sorowe of dāpnacyō of soules / that bothe sorowe loue shold cōstrayne the to come to me with welȳge wepynge teres ¶ With teres namely of meke and contynuall prayer offred to me with the fere of most brēnȳge desyre / and not onely to wepe for the / but also for many other creatures / and my seruauntes that heten all this / be they that sholde be cōstrayned by charyte for to wepe as thou does so that thou and they togyder sholde praye / and in maner constrayne me for to shewe mercy to all the worlde / and to the mystery all body of holy chyrche / for whome thou prayes to me somoche / yf thou haue mynde that I sholde fulfyll theyr desyre / and gyue thē refresshynge to theyr laboure ¶ Therfore for to satysty to your peynes full desyres / I graūt reformȳge of holy chyrche by good and holy curates ¶ Not for to reform holy chyrche by warre or by cruelte / so for to dystroye the enemyes of holy chyrche / but by pease and reste / and by waylynge and wepynge of my seruauntes whom I haue sende as labourers for wynnynge of soules in the mysteryall body of holy chyrche / and for to labour to increse vertues ymonge neyghbours / offerynge to me contynuall mayer for them and for all my creatures for ymonge them is grete defaute of vertuous lyuynge ¶ And therfore I wyll that they and ye laboure and shewe profyte to neyghbours / and in suche wyse ye maye yelde to me the fruyte of your vyne ¶ Yet shold ye not cese to gyue to me encense of youre wyll / smellynges / tyghte swete prayers / for helthe of soules / for I wyll do mercy to that worlde / and to holy chyrche ¶ For now late I shewed the how her face is all foule as a leper / and that was the defaute of her mynystres / and all crysten relygyon / the whiche do noryshe thē at the brest of this spouse of whose defautes I shall tell the in another place ¶ The fyfte chapyter of this party sheweth of the state of holy teres ¶ And fyrst how this holy soule desyreth for to knowe of the states the fruytes of holy teres ¶ Also of the dyfference of the foresayde teres / and how ther be fyue maners of teres ¶ Also a shorte repetycyon of the menes before / and of other maters / as it is shewed in the kalender before Ca. v. THan that soule with a grete louȳge desyre dyd ryse vp as a drūken soule / as wel by the vnyon that she had in god / as by that she herde and tasted of his ryght swete sothefastnes ¶ And also she had grete heuynesse of the ygnoraūce of creatures / the whiche knewe not theyr maker gracyous benefactour / the whiche tasted not affeccyō of his dyuyne charyte ¶ And yet she had a maner of gladnesse hope / of the promyse whiche god shewed to her / techynge to her a maner of forme / that she all his seruaūtes owe to kepe / for to styrre hȳ to gyue mercy to the worlde ¶ And with that she lyfte vp the eye of intelleccyon to the ryght wel byloued sothefastnes wherin she was knytte / desyrynge somwhat for to knowe of the sayde states of the soule / of the whiche god tolde here / by the whiche she consydered that a soule cometh to that state with teres / wherfore she desyred to knowe of god the dyfferēce of teres / and what they ben frome whense they came / and of the fruyte that foloweth after wepynge teres / how many kyndes ther be of teres ¶ Bycause the truthe of sothefastnes maye not be knowe / but by endelesse sothefastnes / therfore she asked the endelesse sothefastnesse ¶ And bycause also nothȳge may be veryly knowe / but it be seen with the eye of intelleccyon / wherfore she desyreth of sothefastnes to haue clere syghte of very trewe feythe / in the clere syghte of her intelleccyon ¶ Thā after tyme she knewe of god that he wolde gyue her clere lyghte / knowynge thereof she lyfte vp herselfe aboue herselfe / with a greate longynge desyre oute of the corse of the bodyly felynge / with the lyghte of lyfely feythe / she opened her eye of intelleccyon in the endelesse sothefastnesse / in whome she sawe and knewe the truthe / of the thynge that she asked ¶ For god shewed to her hymselfe / that is her endelesse benygnyte / and oned it with her brennynge desyre / so fulfylled
theyr herte is shewed oute by wepynge / but bycause the lyuynge of them is corrupte / therfore the teres that do come frome suche a corrupte herte muste nedes be corrupte and wretched ¶ The secoÌ„de state of teres be of suche as do begynÌ„e for to knowe theyr owne synnes / and do thynke on the peynes that longen to them / and therfore they do begynne to wepe ¶ This maner of wepynge is gyuen to me of dyuers persones and frayle / as a maner of a generall entente ¶ But there be some that do knowe themselfe without seruyle drede / that is without thynkyÌ„ge of peyne / some that do go with a greate hate of theÌ„ selfe by the whiche hate they holde theÌ„ selfe worthy to haue peyne ¶ And some serue me with a maner of symplenesse / sorowynge hertely for offences done to me ¶ Neuerthelesse he that gothe with greate hate of hym self / is more able for to come and attayne to the parfyte state than to the other twayne / for thoughe those twayne excersyce theymselfe for to come to that ê‘fyte state / yet he that stondeth in greate hate of hymselfe / cometh fyrste therto / that one must be well ware that he abyde not loÌ„ge iÌ„ seruyle drede / and that other that he abyde not longe in his symplenesse / lest it fortune hym to waxe dul and slowe ¶ Now beholde my dere doughter / for is this one maner of mune callynge ¶ The thyrde and the fourthe maner of teres is of all suche the be lyft vp fro seruyle drede / and be come to loue hope / taslynge my endelesse mercy / receyuynge of me many gyftes and ghostly comfortes / for whome the eye wepeth / satysfyenge the sencyble felyÌ„ge of the herte ¶ But bycause that a soule is yet vnparfyte / medled with ghostly sencyble waylyÌ„ge as I haue sayd it cometh to the fourthe state / excercysynge herselfe in vertues / where a soule encreseth by desyre / oneth her selfe with my wyll / in somoche that she maye nother wyl nor desyre / but as I wyll / arayed with charyte of neyghbourheed / by the whiche charyte she draweth in to herselfe a maner waylynge of loue / and also a sorowe of loue of offence that is done to me / for harme that theyr neyghbour receyueth / by offence that is done to me ¶ In this wyse is a soule oâ—ed with the fourthe and the last parfeccyon / where in sothe she is oned where also encreaseth the fyre of holy desyre / fâ—o the whiche holy desyre the fende sleeth a waye and may not 〈◊〉 suche a soule for no maner inâ—ury that is done to her / bycause she is â—â—ade pacyent in very charyte of neyghbourheed / not for no comforte nother ghostly nor bodyly / for all suche coÌ„forâ—â— the hathe dyspysed / bothe by hate and also by very mekenesse ¶ Neuerthelesse yet the fende slepeth not / but his watche maye not hurte none suche / bycause he maye not suffre the here of her charyte / nor the swete smell of oneheed or vnyon that they make in me / the whiche am that peaseable se / in whome a soule may not be dysccyued / as longe as she stondeth oned in me / fro whom the fende fleeth awaye / as dothe a fle fro a boylyÌ„ge pot for the fere that he hathe of the fyre / yf it were but a lytle warme / he wolde not be aferde but he wolde flye in thoughe ofte tyme he were in poynt to peryshe / fyndynge more hete ther in thaÌ„ he wende ¶ Ryght so it fareth of a soule or that she come to the state of parfeccyon ¶ The sende bycause he semeth that she is oft a lytle warme entret in her by dyuers teÌ„ptacyons ¶ And yf he fynde there ony maner hete of loue or myslykynge dysplesaunce of synnes / anone he is withstonde so that he dare not enere ¶ Euery soule therfore maye be glad ioyfull that feleth many greuous heuynes for that is the way by the whiche she may come to this gloryous swete face ¶ Ther is no tyme that a soule is so well knowe yf I be in her / as is in tyme of trybulacyoÌ„s how I shall tell ye. ¶ She dyd knowe wel that whaÌ„ she is in trybulacyoÌ„s maye not be delyuered to make resysteÌ„ce aneÌ„des theÌ„ / but nedes she must haue them / saue onely she may wtstoÌ„de the wyll of of theÌ„ / not for to coÌ„set to theÌ„ / she may well knowe therby that she is noughte of herselfe / for yf she were ought / she wolde auoyde that she wolde not haue ¶ In this wyse she is loued by knowynge of herselfe / renneth to me her god by the lyght of holy feythe / by whose goodnes / she fyndeth that she kepeth iÌ„ her good wyl / the which wyl coÌ„seÌ„teth not iÌ„ tyme of many batayles / iÌ„ the whiche / many tymes she is troubled ¶ Thus than you be excercysed and taughte / by the doctryne of my ryghte iÌ„ wete onely sone Ihesu cryste / troubles and heuynesse many trybulacyons peynes and aduersytes bothe of men of fendes yf they be softely and mekely suffred they encrese you to vertues make you to come to greate parfeccyon ¶ How they that desyre to haue teres of eyes and maye not haue theÌ„ / suche haue teres of fyre ¶ And for what cause god withdraweth bodyly teres I Haue tolde the of parfyte and vnparfyte teres / how all maner teres do come out of the herte / oute of that vessel cometh euery tere of what condycyon and maner that it be / and therfore all teres may well be called hertely teres ¶ Neuerthelesse all the dyfference stondeth bytwene ordynate vnordynate loue / and bytwene parfyte vnparfyte loue / as is rehersed before ¶ Now shall I answere to thy desyre / where thou dyd desyre to knowe what is the cause / why parfyte soules iÌ„ this lyte that wolde wepe maye not wepe / that I shall tell the. ¶ There is an other maner of wepynge than by teres of eyes / for ther is a maner of waylyÌ„ge and wepynge of fyre / that is of very holy desyre / the whiche desyre is coÌ„sumed by affeccyon ¶ They wolde spende theyr lyfe in waylynge and wepynge / by holy hate of themselfe / and helthe of soules / and they maye not haue it ¶ All suche therfore as I haue sayde haue teres of fyre / in the whiche teres of fyre / the holy ghost wayleth and wepeth for theÌ„ and for theyr neyghbours before me that is my dyuyne charyte breÌ„neth ferueÌ„tly a soule with the flamme of that holy ghost / the whiche offreth vp before me longynge desyres wtout teres of eyes / for they be onely teres of fyre / the whiche I haue sayd / the holy ghost wepeth for he may not no otherwyse offre vp to me the desyre of theyr wyl les /
the grouÌ„d that is for to saye that the braunches of deedly synnes do not tourne to none other thynges / but to the erthe of euery frayle vnordynate substaunce of the worlde / and they do not loke after none other thynge / but in what wyse they maye be noryshed vnsacyably of the erthe / for they ben neuer fulfylled ¶ They be vnsacyable / and vntollerable to theÌ„ selfe / and therfore it is requysyte ryghte coÌ„uenyent / that euer they be vnquyet and vnrestfull / sythen they desyre suche a thynge that neuer maye fulfyll theÌ„ / as I haue sayde ¶ This is the cause whiche maye not be fulfylled / for they desyre euer a thynge that hathe ende / and yet they themselfe be endeles as to theyr beynge for theyr beynge hathe neuer ende / thoughe they ende anendes grace / by the cause of deedly synnes ¶ And for bycause a maÌ„ is set put aboue all create thyÌ„ges / and not vntreate thynges be aboue hym / therfore he maye not be fulfylled nor stonde in quyetnesse / but in a thynge that is greater than hymselfe / and that is no other / but I god euerlastynge ¶ And therfore I alone may fulfyll them / for bycause he is depryued frome me for his synÌ„e that he hathe done he stoÌ„deth coÌ„tynually in peyne and tourmeÌ„t / after the whiche peyne foloweth wepynges and welynges ¶ How suche worldely wepers ben smyten with foure maner wyndes ANd whan that the wyndes come they smyte the tree of the propre sensualyte / where he made all his begyÌ„nynge ¶ Of these foure wyndes other it is a wynde of prosperyte / or a wynde of aduersyte / or of drede / or of conscyence / these be the foure wyndes ¶ The wynde of prosperyte norysheth pryde / with grete presumpcyon / with magnyfyenge of hyÌ„selfe and lytle regarde on his neyghbour ¶ Yf he be a lorde / the wynde of prosperyte norysheth this pryde with moche vnryghtwysenesse and vanyte of herte / and with vncleÌ„nes of body and of soule / with his propre reputacyon / and with many other defautes whiche do folowe after them whiche thy tongue myghte not tell ¶ Whether this wyÌ„de of prosperyte is not corrupte in hymselfe no / nor this wynde nor that other / but the pryncypall rote of the tree is corrupted / where throwe that rote maketh all thyÌ„ges corrupte whiche cometh fro that rote ¶ For I that sende all thynges by my gyfte with abuÌ„daunce am all souerayne god / what euer it be in this wyÌ„de of prosperyte / wherfore waylyÌ„ge foloweth / for his herte is not fulfylled / for he desyreth that he maye not haue / and so whan he maye not haue that he wolde / than he hathe peyne / and that peyne he wayleth ¶ Now I haue sayde to the that the eye wyll make a saute to the herte ¶ After this there cometh a wyÌ„de of seruage drede / in the whiche wynde a man maketh hym afrayde with his owne shadowe or derkenes dredynge to lose that that he loueth / or he dredeth to lose his owne lyfe / or of his chyldren / or the lyfe of other creatures / or he dredeth to lose his owne state / or the state of his freÌ„des and all for his owne loue / or for worshyppe / or for ryches ¶ Here this drede hathe not his delyte in pease / for he hathe not that that he wolde redy ordeyned after my wyll / therfore that drede of seruage foloweth hym / and is made tymorate and the seruaunte of the wretchydful synne / and bycause he maye beholde as is the thynge that he serueth and that is synne whiche is nought / therfore he is come to nought / after the wyÌ„de of drede hathe smyten hym ¶ And after this anone thaÌ„ cometh the wyÌ„de of trybulacyon and of aduersyte of that same that he dredde / taketh fro hym pryueth hym of that he had / sometyme in a partyculer thynge / sometyme iÌ„ a generall thyÌ„ge ¶ Generally is whaÌ„ he is pryued of the lyfe for by the streÌ„gthe of the dethe he is pryued of all thyÌ„ges ¶ Sometyme also the wynde of aduersyte is partyculer / whiche somtyme taketh fro hym one thynge / and sometyme an other thynge / sometyme it taketh a waye of his helthe / or of his chyldreÌ„ or of his ryches / or of states or of worshyppes / after that I se that it be nedefull for youre helthe whiche am a softe leche / therfore I gaue theÌ„ to you ¶ And for asmoche as youre freyite it vtterly corrupte and with out ony knowynge / it dystroyeth the fruyte of pasyence / and therfore inpasyence dothe bryÌ„ge fourthe sclauÌ„ders and grutchynges / hateredes / and dysplesauÌ„ces / agaynst me and my curates / they haue receyued in to dethe that I haue gyue them in to lyfe / after the mesure that they had of loue ¶ Now it is come to the waylynge of inpasyence that tourmenteth / and the whiche dryeth vp the soule and sleeth it / and taketh awaye the grace of lyfe / and dryeth vp and consumeth the body / and maketh hym blynde bodyly and ghostly / and pryueth hym of all delytes / and taketh awaye all hope / for he is pryued of that thynge / wherin he had delyte / wherin he set his affeccyon / hope / feythe / so that euer he soroweth and wayleth ¶ And not onely his teres make to hym so many inconuenyentes / but his vnordynate desyre and the sorowe of his herte / for if his herte were ordynate had the lyfe of grace / than were his teres ordynate / and sholde constrayne me euerlastynge god / to do hym mercy ¶ But why sayde I that this was and is the tere of dethe For to the messanger whiche sheweth you the dethe or the lyfe that sholde be in the soule ¶ Forthermore I sayde that there came the wynde of conscyence / and that maketh the goodnes of my godheed / for whaÌ„ I haue ê“ued theÌ„ with ê“speryte / to that entent that I sholde withdrawe the fro theyr propre loue / throwe my loue ¶ Also whan I ê“ued theÌ„ with drede / that throwe iÌ„portunyte they sholde sette theyr loue to loue me with vertu ¶ Also after tyme I haue preued them with trybulacyoÌ„ that they sholde knowe theyr freylte / and the lytle stablenesse of the worlde to some / there al this ê“fyteth not / I gyue a prycke or a remors of conscyencè / for I loue more thaÌ„ can be spoken / and that remors I gyue them / for they sholde aryse for to open theyr mouthe / and caste out the rotten fylthe of theyr synnes by holy coÌ„fessyoÌ„ ¶ But they as obstynate ryghtfully renreued of me throwe theyr owne wyckednesse whiche wolde iÌ„ no wyse receyue my grace / fle fro that prycke remors of conscyence and lede it all aboute with wretchydfull delectacyoÌ„s and with dysplesauÌ„ce of me and of theyr neyghbours / and
/ and that gladnesse the whiche dothe come of the fende / is but gladnesse alone wtout folowynge of ony vertu / for asmoche vertu he feleth whaÌ„ it is gone as he dyd at the begynnynge ¶ An suche gladnesse cometh of the loue that they haue in the ghostly comforte / as it is rehersed before ¶ I wyll also that thou knowe that al be not dyseeyued by suche gladnesse / but onely suche vnê‘fyte folke / that set all theyr ioye more in the gyfte of comforte and delyte of vysytacyon / than in me that am the gyuer ¶ And all suche that with ony beholdynge of other thynge than of me / beholdeÌ„ feruently rather to affeccyon of me that am the gyuer / thaÌ„ to the gyfte / and so they loue the gyfte for me / not for theyr owne coÌ„forte maye neuer be dysceyued of theyr gladnesse / in tyme of vysyoÌ„s or vysytacyons ¶ And therfore they knowe ryghte well whan the fende cometh in forme of lyghte / for to dysceyue by suche maner of gladnes / as soone as they aspy it is he / anone they knowe theÌ„selfe with theyr owne very knowlege / and dyspyse suche comforte / grypynge and clypped the doctryne of my charyte ¶ And for shame the fende gothe fro them / but all suche that loue theyr ghostly comforte do the coÌ„trary ¶ For they may knowe yf they wyll his dysceytes as I haue sayde that is fyndyÌ„ge in theyr owne soules ioye withoute vertu / not goynge oute of the same pathe of mekenesse / and very charyte / and hongre of my worshyp endeles god / and also of helthe of soules / lyke as my parfyte and trewe louers done ¶ Lo doughter my endelesse goodnesse hathe prouyded thus / for parfyte and vnparfyte / in what state that they stonde / for to knowe dysceytes of the fende / in tyme of vysyons and vysytacyons / that they be not dysceyued / yf they wyll kepe the lyghte of intelleccyon / the whiche I haue gyuen to you / with the clere syghte of ryghte holy feythe / the whiche lyghte letteth the fende for to shadowe vpon you his dysceytes / and therfore neuer auoyde this lyghte of grace awaye fro you / for yf ye neuer auoyde it awaye fro you / there is none that maye take it awaye fro you ¶ How that god is the fulfyller of holy desyres of his seruauntes / how it pleaseth god moche whan a man dothe aske with parseuerauÌ„ce / and knocketh at the gate of his sothefastnesse NOw dere doughter I haue fully declared to the and yllumyned the eye of thy intelleccyon / agaynste the dysceytes that the fende maye do to the / and so I haue satysfyed thy desyre of that thynge thou dyd aske me / for I am not a dyspyser of the desyres of my seruauntes / but I gyue to the the asker / styrre the for to aske / he dyspleaseth me ryghte moche that knocketh not veryly at the gate of my sothefastnesse that is Ihesu suynge the doctryne of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryst / shewyÌ„ge his doctryne / whiche is nothynge elles / but a maner knockynge and cryenge to me endelesse fader / by the voyce of holy desyre / with meke and contynuall prayers ¶ I am that fader that gyueth to you breed of grace / by medyacyon of the gate that is of my sone Ihesu / and other whyle sor to proue your desyres and ê‘seuerauÌ„ce / I feyne me as thoughe I vnderstode you not in youre askynge / and yet I vnderstonde you well ynoughe / and yet in the mene whyle / that that is spedefull for you I gyue you ¶ For I gyue you bothe hongre and wyll / by the whiche ye cryen to me ¶ And thaÌ„ I seynge your stydfastnes and parseuerauÌ„ce / in that that they be ordynately dyrecte to me I fulfyll ¶ To this callynge my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu hathe styrred you / where he saythe thus / knocke and it shall be opened to you / aske and you shall haue / serche and you shall fynde ¶ So I wyl that thou do / that thy desyre neuer cease iÌ„ askynge of my helpe / nor bowe not awaye thy voyce fro me endelesse fader / that I maye shewe and do mercy to the worlde ¶ Nor cese not for to knocke at the gate of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / in suyÌ„ge of his steppes ¶ Delyte therfore iÌ„ his passyon / erynge with hym vpon the table of the crosse the meet of helthe of soules / for ioy / presynge / and honour of my name / and wayle there hertefully the bethe of mankyÌ„de / whome thou sees fall in grete wretchednes ¶ For ther is no toÌ„gue in erthe suffycyent / to tell the wretchednesse that is vsed iÌ„ this worlde / therfore by suche waylynge / wepynge / and cryenge / I wyll shewe mercy to the worlde ¶ This thyÌ„ge it is that I desyre and requyre of my seruauntes / and that is a tokeÌ„ that they loue me veryly and therfore as Isayd I shal neuer dyspyse nor sette lytell by theyr deuoute desyres ¶ Howe this deuoute soule dothe meke her and yeldeth thaÌ„kynges to god / and how that she prayeth for all the worlde / and specyal for holy chyrche / and also specyally for her ghostly dyscyples / and for her two ghostly faders / and after this she asketh to her of the dedes of mynystres to holy chyrche T'Han that deuoute soule was veryly drunke by vnyon of loue / by the whiche she was alyened and rapte fro herselfe / and her bodyly felynges / and araysed herselfe aboue herselfe / beholdynge with the eye of intelleccyon in the endeles truthe of god / and sayde thus ¶ O souerayne endeles goodnesse of god what wrecthe am I / that it shall please the my swete souerayne endeles fader to shewe to me thy sothefastnes / and also the pryue subtyltes of the fende / and dysceytes of my owne sensualyte / the whiche dysceytes bothe I and other myghte receyue in this wepynge worde / and knowe them not / but yf we hadde be enformed before ¶ Good lorde who styrred the here to ¶ Certayne thy owne loue / for thou dyd loue me / or than I loued the. ¶ O fyre of loue / thankynge be to that endelesse fader / I vnparlyte and full of derkenesse / and thou parfyte and full of lyghte hase shewed me parfeccyon / and a clere shynynge waye of doctryne / of thy onely sothefast sone Ihesu ¶ I was deed / and thou hase yraysed me / I was seke and thou hase gyueÌ„ me medycynes / and not onely the medycyne of the blode that thou gaue to maÌ„kynde by medyacyoÌ„ of thy sones passyoÌ„ / but thou hase gyueÌ„ me an other specyal medycyne agaynst my pryuy sekenesse / the whiche I neuer knewe before / by that doctryne that thou hase gyuen me / that in no wyse I shold Iudge ony maner reasonable creatures and specyally thy seruauntes / of whome
And the worste of all is / that they with the goodes of holy chyrche araye theyr concubynes / as an husbande wolde aray his wyfe / so these incarnate deuylles of holy chyrche goodes aray theyr deuylles / that is theyr coÌ„cubynes / with whome they lyue vnclenly wyckedly / and wtout shame they make them go stonde come iÌ„ to that chyrche / whyles they be at the auter ¶ They take no thought thoughe theyr wretched deuylles do come to theyr hondes with other chyldren of holy chyrche / for to offre as other folke done ¶ O ye fendes / and yet more than fendes / ye sholde at the ofâ—e hyde youre synnes in the syghte of youre subiectes / for yf ye hyde it / that offeÌ„ce is to me alone / the harme to yourselfe ¶ But nowe ye do euyl to your neyghbours for to gyue theÌ„ suche ensamples of cursed lyuyÌ„ge / throwe youre ensample / they fall in to the same synnes or greter ¶ This also is another wyckednesse that they vse / they aryse erly by the morowe / with a defouled soule and a corrupte body that hathe layen all nyghte in deedly synÌ„e / they go and saye masse ¶ O deuylles tabernacle / where is the watche of the nyghte that sholde be waked with deuocyon dyuyne seruyce / where is contynual prayer and deuoute in the whiche thou sholde dyspose the aneÌ„des tyme / for the mystery that thou sholde do on the morowe / with knowlege of thyselfe to knowe thyselfe vnworthy to that offyce / also with knowlege of me / for of my goodnesse I haue made the a mynyster / not by thy deseruynge and merytes / but for my goodnesse I haue ordeyned the a mynyster for to mynystre to my creatures the sacrameÌ„tes of holy chyrche ¶ How the synÌ„e agaynst kynde reyneth in some of the foresayde mynysters / and of a fayre vysyon whiche the soule hadde vpon this mater DEre doughter I make the knowe that I requyre so greate purete of you and of them in this blessyd sacrament / as maye be hadde to man in this lyfe / and therfore asmoche as you maye on youre syde and on theyr syde / eche of you sholde contynually with all youre myghte wynne suche purete / and thynke yf it were possyble an anâ—els kynde to be puryfyed to that mystery it were ryghte necessary / but it is not possyble / they nede not to be puryfyed / for in them maye neuer fall the venym of synne ¶ This I saye the that thou maye knowe what cleÌ„nesse and purere I requyre bothe of you and of them in this worshypful sacrament / and namely of them that be my mynysters / but they do the contrary / for al they be vnclene / and no onely of vnclennes and freylte to the whiche ye be prone and redy of youre owne freyle nature ¶ But they wretches be so vnclene / that they do the wycked synÌ„e agaynst kynde / and as blynde fooles of theyr intelleccyon they knowe not the fylthe stynkynge wretchednesse that they be in ¶ And it dyspleaseth not onely me that am endelesse purete / the whiche synne is so abhomynable to me / that for the synne by my Iudgement fyue Cetees were ouer tourned / for I myghte not suffre the vyle stynke of that cursed synne nâ— longer / it dysplesed me somoche not onely me as I sayde but it dyspleseth deuylles not bycause the euyll dothe dysplease theÌ„ / that god sholde please them but bycause theyr nature was somtyme angels nature / and therfore that nature escheweth to se that actuall cursed synne / thoughe it so were that the fende thre we fyrst an arowe to them enuenymed with the venym of concupyssence ¶ But whan they come to the dort of that cursed synne / than he gothe his way for the cause that I haue tolde the / for yf thou remembre the I towe the how that cursed synne somtyme before the incarnacyon myslyked me / for all the worlde was corrupte thaÌ„ therof ¶ And thaÌ„ thou lyfted vp thy selfe aboue thy selfe with holy desyre where I shewed the all the worlde / and iÌ„ that syghte thou sawe that almoste euery parsone was corrupte with that wretched synne / and thou knowes well that it was so greate a peyne to the for to se it / for to smell the stynke of that synne in thy soule / that the semed it shold be thy dethe / for thou dyd se no place wher thou other of my seruauÌ„tes myght stoÌ„de for corrupcyoÌ„ / that this lepre sholde not defoule you / nor to enfecte you ¶ Thou dyd se no place where thou myghte stoÌ„de nother ymonge small nor greate / yonge nor olde / clerkes nor relygyous / prelates nor subiectes / lordes nor seruauntes / but all these were defouled bothe body and soule of this cursed synne ¶ This I shewed the thaÌ„ in generall / I tell the not what they be in specyall / for whose vnryghtwysenesse / I withholde yet my ryghtwysenesse / for I coÌ„mauÌ„de not stones to oppresse theÌ„ / nor the erthe to deuoure them / nor beestes to dystroy them / nor fendes for to bere them awaye bothe body and soule ¶ But I fynde wayes for to shewe theÌ„ mercy yf they wyll amende theÌ„ and for intercessoures bytwene me and them / I sende my seruauÌ„tes suche as be vndefouled in that cursed synne / and in all other deedly synnes / for to praye for them to me / otherwhyle I shall shewe them suche wretched synnes for to make them more besy aboute theyr soule he le / with the more coÌ„passyon for to offre theÌ„ to me by prayer / for it is a ryght cursed synÌ„e ¶ I shewed the but one sparcle of the styÌ„ke of that synne / thou was broughte to suche a plyte / that thou myght no loÌ„ger suffre to bere it / therfore thou sayde thus to me ¶ O endeles fader haue mercy vpon me on thy creatures / orelles take my soule out of my body / for I maye nomore / therfore refresshe me endeles fader / and shewe me in what place I thy seruauÌ„tes maye rest vs / that this lepre noye vs not / nor take away fro vs purete bothe of body of soule ¶ I answered the thus tourned to the the eye of my pyte and sayde and yet saye ¶ Doughter youre reste is in gyuynge to my holy name ioye and praysynge / and besy you in that ye can and maye for to throwe encens to me of contynuall prayer / for these wretches that haue put themselfe in somoche wretchednesse makynge theÌ„selfe vnworthy to be my mynysters / 〈◊〉 that cursed synne ¶ The place there ye sholde stonde / is cryste crucyfyed my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / there sholde ye dwell / hyde you in that holes of his wouÌ„des / namely in the grete wouÌ„de of his syde / in the whiche wouÌ„de by affeccyon of loue ye sholde be
brought to lyfe euerlastynge / also thou hase lefte many of theym in the state of grace ¶ O my dere swete doughter to these the syghte offendes may do no domage nor hurté / for by the gloryous syghte of me that they se by feythe and holde by loue / bycause in them is no venyme of deedly synnes / the derkenesse and theyr horryble syghte gyueth thē nother noyaunce nor drede / for they haue in thē no seruyle drede / but good holy drede / wherfore they nother drede nor fere of theyr dysceytes / bycause they do knowe theyr dysceytes with lyghte aboue kynde / and lyghte of vnderstondynge of holy wryte / and therfore they do not of them receyue nother derknesse nor trouble of the soule ¶ And thus they do passe gloryously bathed in the precyous blode of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu cryst / with honger of helthe of soules fully brenned in charyte of neyghboureheed / goynge by the gate of my sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / and so they entre in me and of my goodnesse / all be sette eche in his owne state / and to them is mesured of me of the affeccyon of charyte / after the mesure that they brynge with them ¶ Of the dethe of greate synners / and of theyr peynes in the ende or poynte of dethe DEre doughter the excelence of these be not so greate / but the cursed wycked wretches haue more mysery / of the whiche I haue tolde to the somewhat before / how dredeful and how derke is the dethe of theym as thou thynkes at the poynte of dethe as I sayde fendes accusen theym / shewynge to theym with grete drede and terryble derkenesse theyr proper lykenesse / for thou knowes wel it is so horryble / that a creature had leuer suffer all maner peynes in this worlde / thā for to se that syghte / and therto the prycke of cōseyence is renued that wretchedly freteth and turmenteth hym in his conseyence vnordynately / also delyces and his owne proper sensualyte whom he made his souerayne lady / and his seruaunte reason wretchedly accuseth hym / bycause he knoweth the truthe of that / that somtyme he knewe not / wherby he is come to greate confusyon in hymselfe of his erroure / for in his lyfe he lyued not to me as a trewe man / but as an vntrewe and vnfaytheful man / for his owne propre loue couered the clere syghte of holy feythe / that fende therfore vexeth hym than of mysbyleue / for to brynge hym to dyspayre ¶ O how harde a batayle is this to hym / for than he fyndeth his soule vnarmed / hauynge no maner armure of the affeccyō of charyte / for he is in all wyse depryued of charyte / and arayed with the deuyls armure / they haue not than the super naturall lyghte / nor yet the lyghte of cunnynge / bycause they vnderstonde it not / for the hornes of pryde wyll not suffer them to vnderstōde the swetenesse of cunnȳge / why maye they not do some maner of resystēs ī this batayle ¶ For certaynly they be not noryshed in hope / they hadde neuer hope nor confydence in me / nor of the blode of the whiche I haue made them mynysters / but onely in themselfe an in theyr states / and in delyces of the worlde ¶ And that wretched incarnate deuyll consydereth not / that of all that euer was cōmytted to hȳ / he sholde gyue rekenynge to me / now he seeth hymsefe naked without ony vertu / for on what syde that euer he turneth hym / he hereth nothȳge elles but reprefe shame / the vnryghtwysenesse that he vsed in his lyfe dyd accuse hym / therfore he dare none other aske of me / but ryghtewysenesse and one thynge I saye theyr confusyon and shame is somoche / that but they hadde it in vse by theyr lyfe for to hope in my mercy / they shold be brought to dyspayre / yf suche hope came by presūpcyon ¶ For he the offendeth in hope of mercy / maye not saye effectually that his hope is hope of mercy / but it is rather called presumpcyon of mercy ¶ Neuerthelesse yet he toke vpon hym the dede of mercy / for in the ende of dethe yf he knewe his defautes / and that he dyd dyscharge his conscyence by confessyon / put awaye presumpcyon of hope / than mercy abydeth / and of that mercy they may receyue hope yf they wyll for yf that were not there sholde none be / but that he sholde dyspeyre / and go to the dampnacyon of the fende ¶ This mercy maketh thē to hope in theyr lyfe of my mercy / thoughe than I gaue them none / leste that they hadde offended with my mercy / but is was gyuen to them onely for that they sholde extende thēselfe in my charyte / and in the consyderacyon of my goodnesse / and they do vse my mercy in the contrary / for with hope that they toke of my mercy in the cōtrary / for with hope that they toke of my mercy / they dyd offende me / and yet neuerthelesse yet I kepe them in hope of my mercy / that in the ende of the dethe they may haue somwhat for to lene to / and that they vtterly defayle not by vndernymynge offendes / and so fall to dyspeyre / for it is more dysplesaūce to me / more harme to thē this synne of dyspeyre than all other euylles and wyckednesses than they dydde euer before ¶ And the cause why that it is more harme to them / and to me greate dysplesaūce is this ¶ For all other synnes that they do is done with delectacyon for theyr owne proper sensualyte / for the whiche somtyme they sorowe / and they muste sorowe somoche therfore / that they maye wynne mercy therby ¶ But to the synne of dyspeyre they be not moued by freylte / for they fynde therin no maner of delectacyon / nor none other thȳge / but onely intollerable peyne / and in desperacyon they dyspyse my mercy / makynge theyr defaute the more by dyspysynge of my mercy my goodnesse ¶ And after tyme that they be fall in to this synne they repente them not / nor they haue no sorowe for the synne that is done to me / by that synne as they shold do / they sorowe for theyr owne harme / but nothȳge for the offence that they do to me / and so they receyue endelesse dampnacyon ¶ Thus thou maye se that this synne onely ledeth a mā to hell / and there he is bothe turmēted bothe for this and for other / he sholde haue had my mercy yf he had repented hym / and sorowed for the offence that is done to me ¶ And yf he had hoped in my mercy / for with out ony comparysō as I sayde my mercy is more than all the synnes that euer were done / and therfore it dyspleaseth me moche / that they putte theyr defautes more than my mercy
in delyces / rychesse / states of that worlde / but my owne loue coÌ„strayneth me / for I loued you or that ye loued me / I loued you meruaylously / that it is whiche coÌ„strayneth me / also the prayers of my seâ—uauÌ„tes / by the mylde mekenes of that holy ghost / that mynystreth to theÌ„ the worshyp of me loue of theyr neyghbours / by the whiche they serche helth of theyr soules with meruaylous charyte / besyenge theÌ„ to please me / and to bynde my hoÌ„des of dyuyne ryghtewysenesse whiche a wycked maÌ„ deserued to haue / thus I am coÌ„strayned with meke waylynge coÌ„tynuall prayer ¶ Who maketh theÌ„ so for to crye ¶ My prouydeÌ„ce / for I prouyded to the nede of this deed creature / iÌ„ asmoche as it is sayde of me thus Nolo morteÌ„ c. I wyll not the the dethe of a synner / but I wyl that he be tourned lyue ¶ In thy soule also dere doughter thou sees my prouydeÌ„ce / yf thou opeÌ„ the eye of thy soule / that wycked meÌ„ whiche ly iÌ„ so greate mysery / that be made stynkynge fylthe of dethe / derke by wantynge of lyght of grace / for they go syÌ„gyÌ„ge laughynge speÌ„dynge theyÌ„r tyme with vanytes / in delyces / in greate vnhonestes / waÌ„tayne in all thynges / greate glotoÌ„s / eters dryÌ„kers so ferforth that of theyr wombes they make theyr god / with hate / raÌ„coure / pryde / they go also with all wretchednesse as I haue tolde the in another place they do not knowe theyr owne astate / for they walke in suche awaye that wyll brynge theÌ„ to the dethe euerlastynge / but yf they ameÌ„de them in theyr lyuynge go more warely ¶ It were a greate foly for a maÌ„ that were coÌ„deÌ„pned to the dethe to go syngynge dauÌ„syng as he gothe by the way towarde his dethe / shold it not as thou thynkes yes certayne ¶ In suche foly ben suche wretches / in somoche the more wtout ony coÌ„paryson that they receyue more harme thaÌ„ they that is peyne of the dethe of soule whiche is more thaÌ„ the peyne of the body / suche lose that lyfe of grace / they but lyfe of body / such receyue endeles peyne / they but peyne that is fynyte / thus they dye in state of daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ / they go thyder syngynge / blynde / fooles / fooles aboue all other fooles / my seruauÌ„tes be in the state of waylynge wepiÌ„ge / in afflyccyon tourmeÌ„t of body iÌ„ holy wakynges / in coÌ„tynuall prayer with syghynges sobbyÌ„ges / makyÌ„ge theyr bodyes lene for the helthe of theyr soules ¶ But suche syngers as be rehersed before / they scorne all suche and theyr owne scornes fal on theyr proper heeddes / whan they be in peyne / to them that labour for the loue of me / shall be gyueÌ„ fruyte of theyr labour in the blysse of heueÌ„ / whiche my owne endeles goodnes haue made hyÌ„ for to dyscerne / for I god the fader am ryghtwyse / that yelde to eche after his labour / but sothely my seruauÌ„tes cesse not / nother for ê‘secucyoÌ„s / scornes / nor vnkyndenes of theÌ„ / but rather they encrese in more desyre ghostly excercyse ¶ Who maketh this that they knocke with so greate hoÌ„ger at the gate of my mercy ¶ My ê“uydeÌ„ce that maketh me prouyde to that helthe of these wretches / to encrese vertu the fruyte of loue charyte in seruauntes ¶ These maners of my prouydences be infynyte whiche I vse in the soule of a synner / that I myghte therby drawe hym out fro that trespas of deedly synÌ„e ¶ Now shall I speke to the of suche that be rysen fro synne / what my prouydeÌ„ce dothe in theÌ„ / yet be vnparfyte / I shall not declare that agayne by repetycyon the state of the soule / for therof I haue told the by order / but shortli somwhat shall I saye yt. ¶ Of the prouydeÌ„ce whiche god vseth ordeyneth / for theÌ„ that be vnparfyte in loue Wyll thou knowe dere doughter what maner I vse for to arayse an vnê‘fyte soule fro her imê‘feccyoÌ„ / other whyle I ê“uyde to her of many dyuers thoughtes / brynge hre somtyme in to baraynes of soule / oftetymes it semeth to suche that be forsake of me vtterly / for they fele nothyÌ„ge ghostly / they thynke they be not in the worlde / outtake that they fele this / that his wyll wyll not offeÌ„de me / this gate of wyll whiche is fre / I wyll not suffer ghostly enemyes to vndo it / but yet I gyue theÌ„ leue bothe fendes other enemyes / that they maye smyte at al other gates / but not at this the whiche is the pryncypall gate / whiche kepeth the cytee of the soule / neuerthelesse the soule hathe a keper that is fre chose whiche dwelleth at that gate / for this cause I haue made fre chose keper of that gate / the after hyÌ„ the gate be opened / as he wyll so be it done or not done ¶ There be many gates loÌ„gynge to that cytee / but princypally there be .iij. of whome there is one whiche euer holdeth hyÌ„ closed shyt yf he wyl / is the keper of all the other gates / these iij. gates be these / myÌ„de / intelleccyon / wyl / but that specyal gate whiche I speke of is wyll / for yf wyll coÌ„sent thaÌ„ by that gate entreth the enemy of ê‘pre loue / other enemyes that folowe hyÌ„ / thaÌ„ intelleccyoÌ„ receyueth dethenesse / whiche is the enemy of lyght / the myÌ„de receyueth hate kepeth it / thyÌ„kynge vpon that iniuryes wroÌ„ges / whiche gate is the enemy of loue of charite of neyghbourheed ¶ It receyueth also kepeth delectacyoÌ„s of that worlde in dyuers maners / after dyuersyte of synnes / whiche be contrary to vertu ¶ After tyme that these gates be thus opened / the smal dores of the bodyly wyrtes be opened / whiche be instrumeÌ„tes answerynge to the soule / for thou knowes well the that mysruled affeccyoÌ„ of maÌ„ that hathe his gates open / answereth with these instrumeÌ„tes / whose workes be desyled / the eye of suche an vnordynate affeccyoÌ„ bryÌ„geth none other thyÌ„ge thaÌ„ dethe / for it seeth nothyÌ„ge els but deed thyÌ„ges vnordynately / where he sholde not ¶ Suche vanyte of herte lyghtenes with other vnhonestes / is cause of ghostly dethe / bothe to hyÌ„ to other ¶ O wretched man the eye whiche I I haue gyueÌ„ the for to beholde heueÌ„ other fayrenes of creatures for me so to se behold my mynysters / thou be holdes rather fylthe in wretchednes of lyuyÌ„ge / so wynnes dethe / in the same wyse the ere delyteth in dyshonest thynges / other to here the dedes of thy neyghbours by false domes / where I wolde thou herde me / the necessite of thy neyghbour
but now take hede the loue of this meane techeth more / for it maketh hym proue whether he loueth me / and that meane whiche I haue gyuen hym ê‘fytely or not / also I gaue hyÌ„ that meane for to proue hym / for to gyue hym cause and mater for to knowe hymselfe / for yf he knewe not hymselfe the whiche is within hym the whiche is myne / he sholde neuer please hym nor dysplease hym / and yet not withstoÌ„dyÌ„ge this knowlege of hymselfe / he is vnê‘arfyte it is no woÌ„der for beynge of that vnaÌ„fyte loue which he hath to me / he must nedes bevnê‘fyte / for he loueth me by meane of a reasonable creature whiche is vnê‘fyte / but ê‘arfyte charyte of neyghbourheed cometh of my ê‘fyte charyte / not my charyte fro them / but with the same ê‘fyte meane wher with he loueth me he sholdè loue creatures / yf he wyll auoyde imparfeccyoÌ„ ¶ But how shall this be knowe by suche a meane ¶ In many thyÌ„ges / for yf he wyll open the eye of his intelleccyon / than shall no tyme passe / but that he shall bothe se it proue it / and for bycause I haue shewed that in party this in another place / therfore a lytell more shall I tell the there of nowe ¶ Se whan that he loueth a creature with synguler loue as it is sayde to the before by processe of tyme he shall se well that the delectacyon of that loue shall be mynyshed / and also ghostly coÌ„fortes as he was wonte to haue of the same creature and other suche mo / or els yf it seme to hym that the creature hathe more and ofter conuersacyon with other creatures than with hym / he feleth than a peyne / whiche peyne maketh hym to enter iÌ„ to hymselfe knowe hymselfe / and than yf he wyll walke and go with the lyghte of my prouydence as he sholde / thaÌ„ shall he loue more parfytely the meane than euer he dyd / for with knowlege of hymselfe and hate that he hathe in his owne proper sensualyte / he auoydeth imparferccyon and gothe with parfeccy on / and whan he is thus parfyte / he shal loue creatures with more purer specyall loue thaÌ„ euer he dyd before ¶ Lo thus I haue shewed my good nesse by prouydence of suche a meane / whiche meane I make hym to vse with hate of hymselfe / and loue of vertu iÌ„ this way of pylgrymage / but he muste well be ware that in the felynge of the peynes of the loue of creatures lyke as it is rehersed before he brynge not hymselfe in to confusyon and tedyosyte of the soule / and in to heuynes of herte / for the were pereylous / for so that thyÌ„ge whiche I haue ordeyned for hyÌ„ to lyfe / myght tourne hyÌ„ to dethe / therfore so shold he not do / but with good besynesse ghostely excercyse / and mekely holdynge hyÌ„selfe vnworthy for to haue suche comforte as he hathe desyred / and so shall he se that vertu by the whiche suche creatures sholde be loued is not lessed nor mynyshed in hym / for than he shall fele that with honger and desyre he wyll suffer all maner peyne / of what syde that euer it cometh / for the glory and laude of my name ¶ In this wyse he shal fulsyl my wyll / receyuynge in hymselfe fruyte of ê‘feccyon / wherby I haue suffered trybulacyon / and that meane and suche other that he sholde come to the lyghte of parfeccyoÌ„ ¶ Thus in suche wyses I vse my prouydeÌ„ce in vnparfyte men / and yet in many moo wyses in so many that I knowe well thy tonge is not suffycyent to tell theÌ„ ¶ Of the prouydeÌ„ce whiche god vseth ordeyneth for theÌ„ that be iÌ„ parfyte loue charyte NOw shall I tell the of parfyte folke how I prouyded for them in kepynge of them and prouynge theyr parfeccyon / that they maye alwaye encrese and growe in vertu / for there is none in this lyfe so ê‘fyte / but that he maye encrese in this lyfe to more parfeccyon / ymonge all other I kepe that forme after the wordes whiche my sonefast sone sayde / whiche be these Ogo suÌ„ vitis vera c. I am a trewe vyne he sayd / my fader is a tyller / ye be the brauÌ„ches / he that dwelleth in that very vyne whiche cometh out fro me the fader suynge his doctryne / he hathe fruyte / that youre fcuyte maye growe encrese be parfyte / I water you as braunches of the same vyne / and gyue you to drynke many trybulacyons / that is with wronges / derysyons / shames / repreues / sclaunders / bothe with worde with dede / also with honger and with thyrste / as it is lykynge to my goodnes for to gyue to you / and as eche of you is able for to bere / for trybulacyon is a token that shewteth parfyte charyte of the soule / also the imparfeccyon of the soule / whan it tasted with iniuryes / wronges and labours / whiche I suffer for to come to my seruauntes pasyence is proued and the fyre of charyte encreaseth groweth in that soule by compassyon / that it hathe to that soule whiche dothe hym the wroÌ„ge / for he soroweth more for the offeÌ„ce whiche he dothe to me / and also for the hurtynge of his owne soule / thaÌ„ for his owne iniury ¶ Thus do they that be in greate parfeccyon / and so they encrese / and therfore to them I suffer these wronges and suche other / but I leue to them a maner of pryckyÌ„ge of the helthe of soules in suche wyse that bothe daye and nyghte they knocke at the gate of my mercy for them that done them wronge / so ferforthe that they forgoten them selfe as I haue tolde the before in the state of parfyte soules and the more they forsake theÌ„selfe / the rather they fynde me ¶ But where fynde they me ¶ Certayne iÌ„ my sothefast sone Ihesu / goynge ê‘fytely in his swete doctryne / they haue redde in that swete and gloryous boke his doctryne / by redynge they haue founde / that he was euer well wyllynge to fulfyl my obedyeÌ„ce / and for to showe howmoche he loued my worshyppe and mankynde / he ranne vnder my obedyence with peyne and reprefe vnto the table of the holy crosse / where he ordeyned meet for mankynde with his peyne / and so with his sufferauÌ„ce with the meane of maÌ„kynde / he shewed to me how moche he loued my worshyp / and therfore I saye that these well byloued chyldren that be come to parfyte state with parseuerauÌ„ce / with whiche and contynuall prayer shewed to me / that in truthe sothefastenes they loue me / the also they haue well studyed that same doctryne of my sone / folowynge the same with peyne labour whiche they bere for helthe of theyr euen crysten / for they fyÌ„de none
therfore ryghtewysely to hyÌ„ shall be gyueÌ„ endeles peyne with fendes ¶ Lo now thou knowes I haue prouyded in erthe for theÌ„ / that they ge not to endeles sorowe / yf thou dyd beholde me than aboue in the endelesse lyfe in the kyndes of angels / ymonge the cytesyns dwellynge in that endeles blysse / whiche by vertu of my sones blode that vndefouled lambe haue receyued that lyfe / that I sholde so ordeyne them and set them in order / that is for to set one for to tast onely his owne proper good in that blessyd lyfe / and not for to comune charytably be partener of the goodes of other / naye I wyll not so / but theyr charyte is so parâ—ytely ordeyned that the greate tasteth the good of the lesse / and the lesse of the greate / I call it lytell as for the mesure / not for that the lesse is full of ioye as the moste / for eche after his degre is ful of ioye / as it is rehersed iÌ„ another place before ¶ O howmoche charytable broderheed there is / and howmoche oneheed in me / and one with another / for they haue that of me / they knowe well that they haue it of me whiche they haue / they kepe it with holy drede du reuerence / seynge and knowyÌ„ge theyr owne dygnyte wherin I haue set them / there angels comune with men / that is with the soules of blessyd men / and blessyd soules with angels / and so eche of them be ioyfull of the good of other in the breÌ„nynge loue of charyte / and so they ioye in me with ioye and gladnes without ony sorowe / swetely without bytternesse ¶ For whaÌ„ they dyd lyue in erthe / iÌ„ theyr dyenge they tasted me by affeccyon of loue in the charyte of theyr euen crysteÌ„ ¶ Who ordeyned this ¶ My wysdome with ryghte meruaylous and swete prouydeÌ„ce / and yf thou tourne thy thoughte to purgatory / thou shal also fynde ther my swete ryght meruaylous prouydence in the wretched soules that haue loste theyr tyme in this worlde by ygnoraunce / and bycause that they maye be departed frome the body / they haue no more power for to helpe them / as for deseruynge of ony delyueraunce of peyne / and therfore I haue prouyded for theÌ„ by meane of you that yet do lyue iÌ„ erthe / whiche haue tyme for theÌ„ for to rauÌ„some theÌ„ out of peyne by almesdedes and by masse syngyÌ„ge whiche they ordeyne for to be sayde of my mynysters / by fastynge and by prayers done in the state of grace / with al these meanes ye abredge theyr tymes of peyne / by medyacyon of my mercy ¶ Nowe is this doughter a swete prouydeÌ„ce all this haue I sayde to the that thou shold be rapte with loue with in thy soule / in suche thynges as longen to the helthe of a soule / also for thou sholde araye thyselfe with lyght of holy feythe with stydfaste hope iÌ„ my prouydence / that thou sholde throwe out thyselfe fro thyselfe / and in all that thou sholde do for to hope in me wtout ony seruyle drede ¶ Of the prouydence of god for his poore seruauÌ„tes / helpynge them with temporall goodes NOw dere doughter wyll I tell the a lytell party of the maner whiche I helpe and releue my poore seruauntes in theyr bodyly necessyte that hope and trust in me / and yet neuerthelesse they be well apayde of theyr nede other parfytely or vnê‘fytely as they themselfe be parfyte or vnparfyte ¶ I prouyde also to my poore folke dwellyÌ„ge in the worlde whiche be poore in spyryte and wyl / that is with spyrytuall entent / I speke not of suche as be symple poore in the worlde / for there be many suche poore whiche wolde no poore men be / suche be ryche folke as touchyÌ„ge theyr wyll for they hope nothynge in me / nor they bere not ryghte gladly they pouerte whiche I haue gyueÌ„ to them for a medycyne to theyr soules / for rychesse sholde haue done theÌ„ harme and turned them to dampnacyoÌ„ / all my seruauÌ„tes be poore folke and not beggers / a begger oftetyme hathe that he wolde haue / and therfore he suffereth grete necessyte / but I defayle neuer my poore seruauntes / as longe as they hope in me / I lede them forthe in that pouerte / somtyme to the laste ende / that they sholde the better knowe se that I am he whiche wyll prouyde for theÌ„ / by the whiche truste they shold make them stronge with loue in my prouydence / and so gladly for to receyue the spouse of very pouerte / wherfore the holy ghost theyr mynyster with mylde mekenesse wyll puruaye for theÌ„ all that is nede bothe to theyr bodyes by gyuynge of a greate desyre in the hertes of other folke the whiche maye gyue them / so that they shall go and releue them in theyr bodyly nedes / al the lyfe of my swete poore folke is thus gouerned with the besynesse whiche I gyue to the seruauntes of the worlde for them / neuerthelesse yet I proue theÌ„ in pascyeÌ„ce / iÌ„ feythe / and in parseueraunce / for I suffer somtyme to be sayd and done to theÌ„ bothe repreues and wronges / yet he that dothe suche wronges to theÌ„ / I styrre them to do them almes / for to helpe them iÌ„ theyr nedes / this is a generall prouydeÌ„ce gyuen to my seruauntes / but somtyme I vse it in my ryghte specyall seruauntes with out meane of ony creature onely by myselfe / as thou knowes well I dyd to my gloryous seruauÌ„te seynt Domynycke / for in the begynnynge of his order / his brederne dyd sufter greate nede and penury of meet / so ferforth that whan the houre of meet was come and they had nothynge to ete / my well beloued Domynycke with the lyghte of feythe hopynge in me that I shold prouyde for theÌ„ / sayd to his brederne thus ¶ Chyldren sette ye downe to meet / his brederne anone were obedyent to his wordes sate downe / than I prouyded to all theÌ„ that had trust in me / sende two angels with ryghte whyte breed to theÌ„ in suche plente that they had greate abundaunce therof many tymes after / this prouydence was not done with meane of man / but onely by the benynge myldenes of the holy ghoste / somtyme also I ê“uyde for my ryght specyall seruaunces a lytell quantyte of lyuelode whiche was not suffycyent for theÌ„ / as thou knowes well I dyd to the swete mayde seynt Agnes / which serued me fro her chylde heed vnto her laste ende with greate mekenesse / by the whiche mekenesse with quycke feythe / at the commauÌ„dyment of my blessyd Mary my sones moder / she drewe her to greate parfyte pouerte / and so without ony temporall substaunce she bylded a Monastery in suche a place / where somtyme was as thou knowes well a comune
the body / colde / hete / nor yet no greate boystyous metes ¶ WheÌ„se cometh all this trowes thou ¶ Certayne fro my prouydence that I haue ê“uided for hyÌ„ / take the charge of hyÌ„ vpon me / iÌ„ asmoche as he hath fully forsake hyÌ„selfe / thê° dere doughter thou maye se in howmoche delyces my poore seruauÌ„tes enhabyte ¶ A shorte repecycyon of the foresayde dyuyne prouydence NOwe haue I tolde that the lest ê‘ty of my prouydeÌ„ce in euery creature / in all maner of people / shewynge that the fro the begynnyÌ„ge whaÌ„ I made that worlde also creatures / gyuyÌ„ge theÌ„ beyÌ„ge to the ymage lykenesse of me / vnto the laste daye I vse and haue do do what that euer I do with prudence / so to ordeyne prouyde for youre helthe / for I desyre nothyÌ„ge of you / but youre holynes / al thyÌ„ge that is gyueÌ„ to you whiche is of my substauce beynge / is gyueÌ„ to you onely for the same ende / that I myght vse in you my prouydeÌ„ce / this is not knoweÌ„ with wycked worldely meÌ„ / whiche haue put fro them the lyghte / by the whiche they sholde se this / also I haue tolde that bycause they knowe it not / they be sclauÌ„dred in me / neuerthelesse with pacyence I suffer theÌ„ / abydynge euer vnto the laste euer prouidyÌ„ge to theÌ„ for theyr nedes / as well to syÌ„ners as to ryght wyse meÌ„ / bothe in spyrytuall teÌ„porall thyÌ„ges ¶ Also I tolde that of the imparfeccyon of ryches / that in what wretchednesse they be broughte in / whiche haue ryches in possessyoÌ„ by vnordynate loue / also I tolde the of the excelleÌ„ce of pouerte of ryches / that the quene of pouerte gyueth to a soule which hath choseÌ„ her for her spouse / felyshypped with that suster of vylyte / of the which vylyte with obedieÌ„ce togyder / I shall tell the afterwarde ¶ Also there I shewed to the / howmoche pourte pleaseth me / how dere it is to me / how that I ê“uyde to it meruaylously with my ê“uydeÌ„ce ¶ Al this haue I tolde that for the coÌ„meÌ„dacyon of this vertu of pouerte / also for the coÌ„meÌ„dacyon of ê‘fyte feythe / with the whiche feythe a soule cometh to this the most ê‘fyte most excelleÌ„t state of pouerte / that she myght encrese in feythe hope / that also she myght sorowfully knocke at the gate of my mercy ¶ Therfore dere doughter thynke this in thy soule with quycke feythe / that I shall vtterly fulfyll thy desyre / also the desyre of my seruauntes / thoughe they suffer moche vnto the laste ende of theyr dethe ¶ But be not dysconforted / be glad ioyful in me that am thy defender coÌ„forter / lo doughter now haue I satysfyed thy desyre of my prouydeÌ„ce / of the whiche thou prayed me that I sholde prouyde for that necessites of my creatures / thus thou knowes hase well sene / that I am no dyspyser of very holy desyres ¶ How this soule whaÌ„ she gaue worshyp thankynge to go / she prayed that he wolde speke to her of the vertu of obedyence THaÌ„ that soule had suche delyte in that very holy pouerte / rapte by loue as a druÌ„keÌ„ soule in the endelesse magnyfycence and transformed in the depenesse of his meruaylous prouydeÌ„ce so ferforth that she beyÌ„ge in the vessell of the body / wened that she hadde be without the body / by rauyshynge of the fyre of his charyte made iÌ„ her / she behelde stydfastly with the eye of her intelleccyon iÌ„ his dyuyne maieste / sayenge thus to the endelesse fader ¶ O endelesse fader / o blessed fayrenes / o endelesse wysdome / o endeles goodnes / o endeles myldenes / o worthy hope / o refute and refressher of synners / o meruaylous largenesse / o endeles infynyte good / o all wounded in loue / me semeth that thou hase nede of vs wretched creatures / for thy speche sheweth as thou couthe not lyue without vs / not withstoÌ„dinge thou arte endelesse lyfe of whome all thyÌ„ges taken lyfe / without whom may no thynge lyue / why arte thou so wounded in the loue of thy reasonable creatures / they forsake the and thou serches them / they fle fro the / and thou comes nyghte to theym / more nerer thou myghe neuer come / than for to seÌ„de thy onely sothefast sone Ihesu to take oure flesshe vpon hym ¶ O good lorde what shall I saye what shall I speke / all my spekynge is to the no spekynge / therfore I shal say thus as a chylde dothe / a / a / a / for I can none other speke / the tongue of my body is suche that it shall haue ende / and therfore it can not expresse the affeccyon of the soule / whiche desyreth iÌ„fynytely / me semeth that I may saye as the blessed apostell seynt Paule sayde that was thus ¶ The eye may not se / the ere maye not here / nor in to the herte maye nor ascende suche thyÌ„ges / as I haue sene ¶ And what hase thou sene wretched soule ¶ I haue sene the pryuytes of god / whiche is vnsefull a man to speke ¶ What shall I than saye ¶ Certayne I maye nothyÌ„ge saye worthyly / thus abydynge iÌ„ my bodyly wyttes / butone thyÌ„ge I saye to the soule thou hase tasted sene the depenesse of the endelesse prouydence of god / therfore blessed fader withou ende I thaÌ„ke the of thy greate goodnesse shewed to me most wretche vnworthy grace / bycause I coÌ„syder wei that thou arte a fulfyller of holy desyres / I desyre the that yet a lytell thou vouche safe to speke to me of the vertu of obedyence / and of his greate excellence / as thou endeles fader behyght me / that I maye also be rapte in loue with that vertu / and that I maye neuer be departed nor pass awaye fro thy obedyence / therfore endeless fader I beseche the for thy infynyte goodnesse tell me som what of the parfeccyon of vertues / and where I may fynde it / and what is the cause why it is taken awaye fro me / and what thynge it is that gyueth it to me / a token that I maye knowe whyder that I haue it or not And here now moder and sustren endeth your .vi. booke / in the whiche you may fynde ghostly fruytes and herbes ryght many with grete vertues and odyferous smelles / ryghte plesaunte and profytable for the infyrmytes sekenesse of that soule / also dyuers maters and ensamples of good and holy lyuyÌ„ge / with the parfyte maner of fysshyÌ„ge of soules / with other mo Septima ¶ The seuenth boke ¶ The fyrste chapyter of the seueÌ„th party / and the chapyters of this party speke of the vertu of obedyence / fyrste how odedyence is had / and what is that thynge / whiche putteth obedyence fro
vs / what is the token of obedyence that a maÌ„ hathe it or that he haue it not who is the felowe of obedyence / and of whome it is noryshed / and of other maters / as it is specyfyed in the kalender Ca. i. obedience In obedience THan the most souerayne / endelesse / pyteous fader turned his eye of mercy myldenesse to the beudure soule / sayde thus ¶ O dere doughter holy desyres ryghtwyse petycyons sholde be herde / therfore I moste souerayne truthe shall fulfyll truly my promyse / in that that I behyght to satysfy to thy desyre / thou hase asked me of obedyeÌ„ce where thou myght fynde it / what is that thynge that putteth awaye obedyence fro the / and what is yeâ—okeÌ„ how it maye be knowen whyther a man haue obedyence or not ¶ To this I answere and saye / that thou fyndes obedyence moste pâ—rfytely in my ryght swete and well byloued onely sone Ihesu / for in hym the vertu was so parfyte / that he ranne for to fulfyll it vnto the moste 〈◊〉 dethe of the crosse / what thynge it is that withdraweth obedyeÌ„ce awaye fro the / I shall also tell that the cause that thou must beholde in the fyrste maÌ„ AdaÌ„ / there thou shall fynde the very cause that auoyded very obedyence fro hym / whiche was putte to hyÌ„ of me endelesse fader / beholde well thou shall se that it is pryde / whiche came out fro his owne proper loue plesauÌ„ce of his felowe Eue / this is the cause that withdrewe the parfeccyon fro obedyeÌ„ce / broughte in vnobedyence / by the whiche lyfe of grace is withdrawe and dethe is brought in / fro innosency vnto vnclennesse that maÌ„ is fall in / in to greate mysery / that token for to knowe that thou hase this vertu is pacyence / he that hathe not pacyence / sheweth well that he hathe no obedyeÌ„ce / but take hede that in two maner of wyses obedyence is kepte ¶ The one is more ê‘fyte than the other / yet be they not departed ysonder / but knytte togyder as I haue tolde the beofre of the couÌ„seyles pÌ„ceptes / that one is good parfyte / but the other is more ê‘fyte / there maye none come to lyfe euerlastynge / but he be obedyent / for wtout obedyeÌ„ce maye none enter ther / bycause it is opened with that keye of obedyence / shutte with the keye of inobedyâ—â—â— neuâ—r the lesse I 〈◊〉 by my infynyte goodnesse seynge that maÌ„ whiche I ioued somoche / 〈◊〉 not come agayne 〈◊〉 am his parpetual ende / toke the kâ—yes of obedyice 〈◊〉 theÌ„m that haÌ„des of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / hyÌ„ as a porter hathe shutte the gate of Ihesu / so the wout this 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 this porter maye none enter ther. ¶ And therfore my sone sayde in the holy gospell / that none maye come to the fader / but by hym / helest with you his swete keye of obedyeÌ„ce / whaÌ„ he asceÌ„ded to me / for he lefte it with his Vycar in erthe / to whome all ye owe to obeye vnto the dethe / he that is out of obedyence / he dwelleth iÌ„ the state of daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ ¶ I wyl now that thou se knowe this greate excelleÌ„t vertu / in my meke vndefouledlaÌ„be Ihesu cryste ¶ Fro wheÌ„se came that obedyeÌ„ce ¶ Certayne of my blessyd sone Ihesu cryste / for loue that he hadde to my worshyp / to youre helthe ¶ But whense came the loue ¶ Fro the lyght of clere syght / with the which a soule seeth clerely the dyÌ„uyne essencyall beynge the endeles trynyte / so alwaye it seeth me endelesse god ¶ This vysyoÌ„ wrought so parfytely in hyÌ„ / that he put awaye fro you youre infydelyte / whiche also was to me his endelesse fader so trewe / that he ranne with the gloryous lyght by the waye of obedyeÌ„ce / as suche one that were all rapte iÌ„ loue / bycause loue goeth not alone / but ture with felyshyp of very ryall vertues / for euery vertu taketh lyfe of the loue of charyte / than my sone Ihesu had whiâ— loue vertu assocyate therto / thoughe vertues were otherwâ—se on hyÌ„ / all otherwyse in you / but ymoÌ„ge all vertues they that be very obedyeÌ„t / be very pacyent whiche is the pythe of obedyence / it is a very parfyte token for to knowe whyther a soule haue obedyeÌ„ce vertuously or not / or whyther it be iÌ„ grace loue truly or not / therfore the moder charyte hathe gyuen pacyeÌ„s to the vertu obedyeÌ„ce / for her syster she hathe so coupled theÌ„ togyder / that the one may neuer be departed fro the other / for other thou hase bothe or none ¶ This vertu of obedyeÌ„ce hathe also a norse whiche norysheth her that is very mekenesse / for a maÌ„ is somoche obedyeÌ„t / as he is meke / so moche he is meke / as he is obedyeÌ„t / this mekenes is the berer norse also of charyte / for the mylke of charyte no rysheth the vertu of obedyeÌ„ce / the clothynge that this norse gyueth to this vertu of obedyeÌ„ce is vylyte / that is settyÌ„ge lytell by theyr selfe / arayenge theyr selfe with shamis repreues / in dysplesynge of theyr selfe / plesynge of me ¶ In whom shal thou syÌ„de this ¶ Certayne in cryst my onely swete sone / who dyspysed set lesse by hyÌ„selfe thaÌ„ he dyd / he fulfylled hyÌ„selfe with repreues / shames / scornes / he to the vtterest dyspleased hymselfe that is his bodyly lyfe for to please me / who was more pacyent than he / for thers was no noyse of grutchynge herde of hyÌ„ in no maner of wyse / but with pacyence he fulfylled lowly my obedyeÌ„ce / that was put to hyÌ„ of me / therfore in hyÌ„ ye sholde fynde this vertu of obedyeÌ„ce parfytely / he lefte to you this doctryne and this rule / whiche rule he kepte fyrst hyÌ„selfe / he is that rule whiche gyueth lyfe / for he is the ryghtwaye to lyfe / and therfore he saythe hyÌ„selfe thus ¶ I am waye / truthe / lyfe / he that goeth by hym / gothe iÌ„ lyght / he that goeth in the lyght maye not staÌ„ble nor fall / for the lyght dothe awaye fro hym derkenesse of his owne proper loue / by the whiche he fell in to inobedyence as I haue sayde the that the felowe of obedyeÌ„ce is mekenesse / so I saye to the that inobedyence cometh of pryde / whiche pryde procedeth out of the proper loue depryueth a soule fro mekenesse / the suster of inobedyeÌ„ce that cometh oute fro ê“per loue is vnpacyeÌ„ce / pryde norysheth it with the derkenesse of infydelyte / reÌ„nynge by the derke waye / that yeldeth gyueth endelesse dethe / therfore I wyll that all ye rede in this gloryoê° rule